


Across The Stars

by Oneroika_Lunae



Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Adorkable Skywalkers, Anal Sex, Angst, Ben and Hux are blinded by Love, Ben in pretty dresses, Best Friend Phasma, Crying, Fluff, GiveHuxAnOrgasm2k16, Hux kicking ass, Hux's feelings have been constipated since he was born, Inappropriate Use of the Force, M/M, Miscommunication, Misunderstandings, Oral Sex, Padawan Rey, Senator Ben Amidala - Freeform, Sith Hunter Kylo Ren, Smut, because Ben is a drama queen, nearly smut, pinning across the galaxy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-31
Updated: 2016-05-31
Packaged: 2018-07-11 11:14:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 25,682
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7047361
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Oneroika_Lunae/pseuds/Oneroika_Lunae
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>General Hux is given the order to destroy the Hosnian System, but that would mean the death of Senator Ben Amidala. Hux sabotages the plan, knowing he's signing his own death sentence.</p><p>On the other side of the Galaxy Ben Organa Solo is trying his best to evacuate Hosnian prime and helping his mother, General Leia Organa, to launch an attack against the monstruos creation of the First Order, Starkiller base. </p><p>Will Ben be able to reach Hux in time and save the day?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Across The Stars

**Author's Note:**

> This wonderful piece of art belongs to paper-wings-burn
> 
> https://67.media.tumblr.com/6719d9b0a124d249353e8f3e3dccb669/tumblr_o82p9s6Pvd1syd0qbo1_1280.png

Hux marched through the corridors of Starkiller Base with Supreme Leader Snoke’s last words replaying over and over in his brain.

“This is the moment. Give the order, General. The weapon is ready. The fate of the Republic is sealed. We will destroy them at once and for all.” 

Destroy them all. Fire on Hosnian Prime and the rest of the planets of that miserable system. Annihilate the Republic’s fleet and cripple the corrupted Senate. The attack would be so powerful and devastating that their surrender would be certain. Hux swallowed, his throat suddenly dry. There was a big, uncomfortable lump in his chest that squeezed his heart with every breath he took. 

Stars. They were going to do it. They were going to fire the weapon. 

Hux knew he should be cheering. His quick rise through the First Order ranks had been because the StarKiller was his pet project. His design. His vision. He should be laughing, smiling, getting ready for the achievement of all his goals in one single shot. 

But he wasn’t. He was anxious, sweating, trembling, and in distress. 

Ben.

Through Hux’s mind passed the makeup-covered face of Ben Amidala, Senator of Naboo, a creature of beauty and luxury, from an age long gone, when Queen Amidala fought for the Old Republic and the Jedi Order was more than a children’s tale.

Hux had first met the insufferable, pompous, spoiled brat after he graduated from the Academy. General Tarkin had been in charge of communications with the New Republic, and Hux had been his assistant.

Senator Indris and his young protégé, Ben Organa-Solo, had been the representatives of the Republic in their business with the First Order. Organa was the son of Princess Leia of the lost Alderaan and poster boy of the New Republic. That had been years ago. Now the boy was grown, and the man had adopted the name of his grandmother. Ben Amidala was a cunning politician, who dressed to impress, wore his elaborate makeup as others would wear war paint, using his toned body and flattering outfits to bring his enemies to their knees. 

Many times while negotiating a treaty or a ceasefire Hux was distracted by a gown with a neckline that was far too low to be decent, or an outfit that covered the Senator from head to toe, but was made from a material thin as air, and transparent to the point where Hux could see perfectly the ornate breeches Ben wore under it. On one memorable occasion, Ben hadn’t worn anything at all under his gown. The cloth had gone opportunely opaque when it reached his hips, effectively killing all of Hux’s superior brain functions.

Hux wore armor of his own. His appearance was always flawless: clean shaven, with his hair perfectly combed, his hat, gloves and greatcoat in place, and his uniform properly buttoned up and pressed. He would never show how affected he was by Senator Amidala.  
Snoke’s words sounded again in his mind.

The end of the New Republic.

The destruction of the Senate.

If Hux fired the Starkiller, Ben would die. If Hux fired the Starkiller, his dreams of order in the galaxy would come true in a matter of days. Could Hux do it? After all, he had never met Ben Amidala in person. It had always been holocalls: about treaties, about a quarrel in this or that planet, about a run in with the Resistance. 

They would make calls at night, where they would talk about their days, the minions of the Finalizer, the boring bureaucrats, about Ben’s droids and Millicent . They would have conversations about their lives and interests.

Sometimes Ben would call Hux when things in the Senate were boring him to tears, and sometimes Hux would call Ben when sleep eluded him.

Hux would call Ben… a friend. Neither of them would betray his beliefs for the other, so friends was as far as they could get. 

On the other hand, Ben probably considered Hux a form of entertainment. Not really a friend - that would be too strange. Then again, both of them were strange enough to keep people at a safe distance. They had both been lonely, that’s how they’d gotten into this mess in the first place. 

Hux was cold and calculating. He had been accused of being a droid more than once. Of being heartless and ruthless. Ben Amidala was a star that shone so bright, a man could be blinded by his light. The perfect child of Princess Leia Organa, The Last Son of Alderaan, elected prince of Naboo. 

Ben Amidala was too good to even look twice at the General who had had to claw his way through the ranks and, that according to the only two friends he had, had the social skills of a broomstick. 

But in spite of this their odd friendship had grown strong through the years. 

Hux should call him. Warn him; get him to go off planet. Out of the bloody Hosnian system.

On the other hand, perhaps this was the moment to get rid of the conflict Ben caused on him. 

It was likely that the Senator had only cultivated this strange unnamed relationship to win an advantage against the First Order. Probably Ben probably went running to his friends and family after Hux’s calls and laughed about how pathetic the General was, with his pathetic emotional dependency of his having a cat, only two friends to speak of, and a stick up his arse. Probably, after Hux had to control himself and concentrate on breathing evenly during Ben’s calls, with his ridiculous outfits and makeup, Ben went off to have wild, passionate, acrobatic sex with that stupid Poe Dameron in the very same room where he had been talking to Hux. 

Hux hated Dameron,. He was Head of Security for the Senator and a well-known resistance pilot. Also known for sleeping with anything capable of giving consent.He was also a bloody pervert. The fucker.

Hux had people watching Dameron, as a key member of the Resistance, and knew of his sexual conquests very well. 

Perhaps it was his talent as a pilot that helped him pick up new idiots to screw every night. How Ben coped with such man was beyond Hux. He would have kicked the bastard out of his bed, his life, and quite possibly out of the planet had he been in Ben’s position. Or just plainly had him killed. But Ben never said a thing about Poe I-fuck-anything-that-breathes Dameron. He always spoke of him with undying affection. 

It made Hux want to scream - and he may have, on occasion, screamed himself hoarse into his pillow out of frustration, but he would deny it to his death and beyond. 

The thought of blowing Dameron into dust was an extremely appealing one. 

But Ben. Ben. What was Hux going to do about him? 

He had to call him. He had to call him and warn him to get off the planet. He couldn’t lose Ben. The mere thought of him dead, gone from the face of the universe, with nothing left behind to mourn made Hux feel physically sick.

He knew his feelings for Ben were a weakness, and he knew that if anyone were to find out, it would mean his swift fall from grace and possibly his ultimate demise. And still he could not bring himself to leave Ben Organa to die with the rest of the Republic.

Fine. Well. Decision made. Panicking in the middle of a corridor was below a man of his station. It was time to stop panicking in the middle of a corridor. He could at least have his nervous breakdown in his quarters. 

He would have to avoid Caedus Ren. Snoke’s Force sensitive apprentice would be able to tell what Hux was planning in a second, and then both Hux and Ben would be doomed. Snoke and his vicious knight would most likely make sure to kill Ben as slowly and painfully as possible, and have Hux witness every moment before killing him too. It was not at all an appealing prospect.

Rumor had it that Caedus Ren,the Jedi Killer, had been one of Luke Skywalker’s former students. And at one point he had turned to the Dark Side and he and his six Knights, under the orders of Supreme Leader Snoke, had attacked the Jedi Temple. But Skywalker and his senior padawan had managed to fight off the Knights, severely injuring Caedus Ren and killing four of his companions.

In the time since he’d known him, Hux had heard Caedus Ren complain time and time again about how one of those padawan had grown up to be the bane of his existence, taking up the name of Kylo Ren to mock his order. Hux had also heard numerous complaints about how they had to train new knights alll the time, because this Kylo Ren kept taking them out.

In Hux’s opinion, this said very little for the Knights of Ren - an opinion he made sure to share with Caedus Ren regularly. The Jedi had joined the fight after the massacre, when the knights of Ren recovered from their loses and Caedus healed from his injuries. Jedis didn’t like violence, but there was Caedus’s former brother in arms, Kylo Ren, who had become the bane of the Knights of Ren. Seven Knights attacked the Jedi Temple,three came out alive from the fray, and of them only two remained. Their number was always seven, but somehow, Kylo Ren always made sure they had to train new knights every few months.

Although Kylo Ren ruined First Order plans left and right, Hux had to admit he was powerful and deathly. And as far as Hux knew the Jedi had rules about personal attachments. Had Kylo Ren been the one watching Ben instead of that fucking Poe Dameron, Hux would sleep better at night.

Hux reached his rooms and entered. He already had a plan. He was going to fake a ridiculously long shower, and call Ben to warn him. Then he was going to delay the shot or sabotage the weapon until Ben was off planet. He would probably make sure to evacuate as many of the inhabitants of the system he could, Ben was like that - and then Hux would give the order to shoot the Hosnian system to oblivion.   
Hux folded his clothes until he was wearing only his long sleeved, high collared black undershirt and his breeches before reaching for his pad to call Ben.

Sitting in his bed, Hux took a deep breath and hoped Ben would take his call. It didn’t happen as quickly as Hux wanted. It took him six attempts and two pillows thrown around to release some frustration to get that stupid pompous brat to pick up his call. Hux wanted to shout at him, but when Ben appeared on the screen, his appearance rendered Hux speechless, and he stood there, mouth open, just staring.

The white makeup on his face, a perfect mask that remarked the golden dots in his cheeks and the shadows in his eyelids, and focused the eyes on those sinfully plush lips, with their blood red lipstick and the line that run from his upper lip to Ben’s chin. Ben’s hair was braided in an elaborated style, and adorned with kyber crystals. The gown he was wearing was a cloud of red silk and black velvet that flowed around Ben, marking his well sculpted chest, and showing his forms. Hux could swear he was able to see his nipples. Hux wanted to know if the rest of the gown was like that and if the pieces of velvet were sown so Ben’s crotch was covered or if the Senate allowed his Senators to display his reproductive systems freely. 

Ben’s face was illuminated by the gigantic piece of metal and kyber crystals that covered him from his neck to the middle of his muscled chest. It was an ostentatious monstrosity made of delicate golden chains and glittering crystals that covered him like raindrops. 

Hux had to remind himself to breathe, and to keep a straight face. But his hands were sweaty and slippery and the pad he had been holding in front of his face fell into his lap. He heard a gasp and a giggle from the other side of the screen. 

"Oh, General! I didn't imagine this would be that kind of call!" said Ben, flirtatiously. His voice was deep and seductive. 

Fighting down a blush, Hux recovered his pad and scowled at the smiling Senator. It was a small smile, a knowing smile. Hux was incredibly tempted by it. It was as he was sharing a private dirty joke with Ben. Sadly, though, that wasn't the case. 

"Not that I’m complaining," added Ben, after a second. Damn his complexion. Hux was blushing now, for sure.

"This isn’t the time for jokes, Ben! You have to get out of there! Now!" Ben's perfect make up made him look like a very expensive porcelain doll, and the perfectly delineated eyebrow quirked in amusement 

"Excuse me, General, but right now I'm attending a session of the Senate, as is my job and my duty, and I most certainly won't leave just because you are bored." Ben's tone was irritated. The spoiled Prince didn't like Hux ordering him around.

Hux felt the urge to scream. He had really bad taste in men. Hux should just leave Amidala to be destroyed and mourn the platonic and imaginary relationship that only existed inside his head by retiring from the First Order and going to live in disguise in some backwater planet with Millicent and her future thirty feline siblings.

Hux looked at Ben in the eye, trying to convey all his desperation.

"Ben you have to evacuate. Take your friends and your family, pack your things, and get out of the Hosnian system. Now."   
Ben frowned . "What? Hux, are you drunk?"

Hux sighted. "Ben, we’ve built this weapon - this huge weapon - and we have been ordered to fire it at the Hosnian system. He wants to destroy you all, please, you have to get out of there! Now!" 

Ben's face was the perfect picture of calm."Give me a second, please" He turned, and Hux was treated to a view of his muscular back, where the red silk draped round him was thin enough to allow Hux a glimpse of the moles dotting the back. They trailed all the way down to the small of his back, where black velvet leaves hid his arse from view, and where the beginning of a long trail of velvet and dark satin ruffles reflected the light and followed Ben's movements.

The Senator conversed with the rest of his party and then, after bowing slightly to one and air-kissing the other's cheeks, he grabbed the pad and left the Chamber. 

Hux could see how the leaves of black velvet covered the lower part of Ben's outfit, more like feathers than leaves, hiding the important bits and making the transparent red silk stand out even more. Hux wished Ben would have tucked the pad under his arm instead of carrying it in his hand, swinging it with the movement of his arms with each of his carefully choreographed steps. 

Hux was getting impatient. By the time Ben reached his destination, the General had begun to pace like a madman and dig his nails into his palms so hard they left half-moons of blood.

Ben took his time, putting the pad on its place on the table and sitting on a big comfortable chair. He leaned into the table, his weight resting on his elbows and his chin resting on his jeweled hands, were bands of gold and rings with intricate designs and many shiny stones of different colours sat.

"What do you mean, Hux?" 

Hux wet his lips and ran his hand through his hair. A few strands fell out of place. Preparations would take a day, or two at most, if he got in the way with petty complaints.

The only thing that kept him from desperation was that Caedus Ren had surely fled back to his chambers instead of relaying the orders to Hux's officers, which gave him a bit more time. 

Ben's eyes were on his hand, and the wild hair that escaped the gel and lay tangled on his forehead. The intensity of that gaze did things to Hux. Made him want things. To touch, to kiss, to tear apart that outfit and wipe away that make up until it was only Ben and Hux. He knew he wanted an impossible. That the friendship they had was the only thing he could hope for, with Ben's shining self and Dameron's absurd, unbeatable charm and good looks. 

Hux knew how he looked. His father made sure to let him know. In the Academy, the other recruits made sure to let him know as well. He was too orange, too skinny, his shoulders too narrow. He was not built like a soldier. His social ability wasn’t much to speak of, either. He could only be proud of reaching the title of General on his own, of the perfect design of Starkiller base, and of his cat, sweet charming thing that she was. 

Hux could never be in the same level as Ben Amidala. He had his friendship, against all odds and ideologies, and Hux knew that, even if he couldn't be with him outside his personal fantasies, he could warn him, and save him. He could not have his love, but he could have him live.

"Ben, I designed this weapon. It was an experiment, at first, but the Supreme Leader said I should build it, and, and..." He knew he was rambling. He knew that. He knew he was trying to justify himself. But he would not lie to him.

"No. I designed a weapon that would devour the stars to power itself, I went to the Supreme Leader and he gave me permission to try, I gathered the funds, the troops, the materials.It took years, but I'm on Starkiller Base right now. And Leader Snoke has ordered me to fire the weapon on the Hosnian system. I cannot disobey, Ben. if it's not me, another would do it. You have to go. Now. While there’s still time. Please, I have to know you will be safe off planet. Ben, please." 

He sounded like the pathetic fool he was, he knew his love for Ben had to be showing, but Hux didn't mind, in the slightest, Ben could laugh at the foolish First Order General when he was in bed with Dameron. Alive. 

"You built it?" Ben's voice was trembling, his expressive eyes full of emotion. Hux couldn't believe he had centered on that detail of his whole speech. 

"I'm good at designing weapons and I'm a General of the First Order. Of course I built it. I was ready to threaten the Republic and accept their surrender, but now he wants me to fire the weapon on you and I need you to get to safety right now."  
Ben's eyes hardened, and his vaguely disgusted look felt like a dagger to Hux’s heart. 

"I will not be going anywhere, General Hux" He spitted Hux’s title like it was a poisonous thing. Hux deserved that, he supposed.

"Ben - Senator Amidala. I'm serious, I can give you a day, maybe two, but that's all. Get out of there" Ben's face was a mask of pure rage. He rose and leaned in so his face was the only thing Hux could see. What a wonderful sight. Hux felt his blush coming back with a vengeance and spreading to his neck and his ears. 

"I will not leave my people to die! I will stay, and we will fight back. If it's necessary..." Hux snapped out of his trance and shouted right back at the handsome Senator 

"You just don't understand! The Starkiller destroys planets! It would be a second Alderaan, and a third, and a fourth! You cannot fight against it, Ben!”He took a deep breath, attempting to collect himself, and spoke on a leveled voice, “Ben, please, listen to me: Run. get out of there before…." 

He couldn’t finish his plea, as he was interrupted by Ben’s cries. "What do you mean, a second Alderaan? How could you even think of building that monstrosity, Hux! What the fuck were you thinking? I will not leave this people and run, like a coward! If they are dying, I will stay and die with them!"

He stopped shouting and they stared at each other, chests heaving, panting and blushing fiercely, with their hearts beating hard and fast against their ribcages. 

There was a long silence. Neither of them trusted himself enough not to say something hurtful to the other. 

Finally, Ben spoke. "You could send us the blueprints. We could then launch an attack and destroy it. Hux, you don’t have to do this. Do you really wish to be the man that kills billions of people?" 

Hux couldn't look at him in the eye."Ben, I'm loyal to the Order. I...I have to go now and oversee preparations. Please, get to safety." He rose from the bed, leaving the pad staring into the ceiling. 

"Hux. Please, Hux! Don't do this! Hux, please! Hux!" Hux couldn't listen to Ben's pleas. He couldn't keep listening to him at all. He grabbed the pad and gave Ben a sad smile and an even sadder look .

"I'm sorry Ben. I'm really sorry, I just...get yourself out of there. Evacuate the planet, if you want. I will buy you as much time as I can, but remember, you only have a day and a half at best." 

"Hux, no! Listen, I... Don't you dare hang up, Hux, don't leave me like-" Hux cut off the communication abruptly and dropped the datapad. He needed to shower. 

Hux let the hot water wash over him. He didn't feel clean afterwards. At least the shower spray gave him the illusion of not having been crying, even when the tears running down his cheeks said otherwise.

When Hux returned to the command room, none of those present would have been able to tell that the cold and composed General before them came close to having a nervous breakdown in his shower not two hours ago. 

"Where is Ren?" asked Hux in a slightly irritated voice .

"In his quarters, General. He said he was not to be disturbed." Hux schooled his features into a sneer of disdain and internally smiled. Yes. With Caedus Ren sequestered in his chambers, Hux could act. 

"I want all the systems in perfect functioning order. You will send the techs to make sure everything is in place and groups of troopers to make sure none of the personnel thinks of sabotaging the Starkiller. I want us ready to start charging the weapon first thing in the morning" The officers on the bridge looked up at him. Lieutenant -General Tarkin looked at him with suspicion in her eyes, but Hux ignored her. The rest seemed to blame it on the desire of the General for perfection.

Hux himself went on patrolling the next twelve hours, visiting vital points of the structure and pointing this or that mistake, calling for troopers and technicians alike to solve problems that weren’t really important. By the time he finished the inspection, he was practically dead on his feet, but the charging of the Starkiller had been delayed by petty repairs here and there for at least, twenty hours.

He sent a message to Ben before he collapsed in his bed. " 20 2 b rdy, 5 2 chrg, 1 2 am, u ve 6.2 to go" twenty hours to be ready, five to charge the weapon, one hour to aim, twenty six hours to go. It was all Hux could do for him, and he hoped it was enough. Hux tried to recall Ben's face without the make up on those first years, but he could only remember the white make up, the posh clothes and the devilish smile of Ben Amidala.

Waking up wasn't a pleasant experience. He had overslept, surely because he had pushed himself too hard yesterday, and to add insult to injury, none of his staff had come to wake him up, but Mitaka had sent a junior officer to his quarters to inform him that, they were very sorry to interrupt his very needed rest, but repairs were complete and they were ready to begin the charging of the weapon. Hux had to think fast, because instead of the twenty hours he had estimated, his very efficient crew had done all the repairs in ten. Hux would be very proud of their efficiency if it didn't mean the death of the man he loved.

Hux's brain, still a little bit groggy from sleep went into panic at that thought. Love.

Love.

General Brendol Hux loved Senator Ben Amidala.

He checked his pad. There was a message from Ben. "Not going anywhere until everyone is safe, Hux, but thank you for all your efforts" The day was getting better and better. A lightsaber to the chest would be the pinnacle of such a day.

Hux reached the bridge and started shouting orders and asking for reports about the reparations. He retreated to his office to sulk in private. He had to buy more time. There had to be something he could do. Something to delay the whole thing. Hux read all the reports, revised the blueprints, had a little breakdown where he messed his hair and drank a couple of glasses of fine corellian brandy and, in the end, defeated, he let himself fall on his chair. Ben Amidala was the most stubborn bastard Hux had ever met in his life. 

Anyway, it wouldn't matter. Even if they did evacuate Hosnian prime, the First Order would chase them and use the Starkiller against them.   
Ben would not abandon his precious Republic or the Senate, and that would mean his death. There was only one way to save Ben, and it was to stop the Starkiller base from firing. Hux still had to get them enough time to launch an attack. 

With a sight, he called Ben from his pad. Being a General had his privileges and being a computer genius like Hux meant that, in addition of not having anyone controlling his calls, he had disabled the programs that copied his private documents to the computers of the Knights of Ren, to ensure he didn't betray Leader Snoke. After a few days of tinkering, he was free to speak with Ben. At first Hux had being afraid, waiting for the knights to turn on him at any given moment for talking with the Senator, but when months passed and no one come, Hux had relaxed.

"Hux?" Ben's voice sounded tired. He was still wearing his white makeup, but was clearly readying himself for bed, his body draped on a silk robe of a deep purple colour. He wasn't wearing any jewelry, and his hair was loose down his shoulders. Hux felt his mouth dry and his face flush. His eyes roamed through the body before him. The dark curls around his perfectly chiseled face. 

This wasn't the time he had seen the Senator showing more skin. Actually he was fairly covered in his purple kimono. It was the lack of jewelry and the hair, freely flowing around his face, that, even with the makeup on - and Hux wondered for an absurd second if he ever removed it at all or just slept with his face painted- Ben looked pretty domestic right then. As if it was an intimate moment he was sharing with Hux. 

The General realised then that he couldn’t remember ever seeing Ben without his makeup before.

"Hello Ben" he swallowed "I'm sending you the blueprints for the Starkiller base. You have to contact the Resistance and launch and attack. I have signaled the vulnerable parts and added the necessary codes. I will try to lower the shields for your pilots to attack. But you will need someone able to get past the shields if necessary. Ben, I will, again, try to gain some time while your Mother gathers her troops. I don't know how much it will be. I will try and call you again" Hux made a move to end the call, but Ben's pained cry stopped him. 

"Hux! Hux, wait!" The Senator looked at him with his big brown eyes full of tears "Hux, come with us. Once we attack the weapon..." 

Hux smiled at Ben "You will have to destroy the oscillator while the weapon is charged and ready to fire, or you will cause a delay, but not the destruction of the base. Once the oscillator is destroyed, the energy liberated from the container will turn the planet into a star. You cannot attack and search for me at the same time. Plus, Caedus Ren is here, and he will sense my betrayal sooner or later. I will try to put as much distance between us as the planet allows, but I’m fairly sure he will get rid of me when the moment comes." 

"Hux, you speak like you are dead already. I will get you out.I will find a way. " 

Hux closed his eyes and smiled, letting himself bask in the naive words of the Senator. He was dead. The message with the blueprints was his death sentence. 

"I will call all the personnel for a speech. But in six hours you will have your only chance. Use it well, Ben." 

"Be safe, Hux, please, be safe." 

"Don't worry about me. Continue with the evacuation. I will try and stay out of harm's way. Goodbye, Ben. It wonderful to know you." Hux ended the call before the Senator could add anything else. He had work to do.

The hours passed. His plan for the speech was received with applause by the rest of the command staff. They thought it a great idea to broadcast it as a way to boost morale and use it for psychological warfare. Hux ordered everyone to the ship’s dock, a perfect place for a speech, which could hold every member of the Order, and near the shuttles and the ships, an easy spot for evacuation once the attack started.

Hux got into position, in his full uniform, boots polished until they shone, his hat firmly placed on his head and his greatcoat draped over his shoulders, he took a look around, the planet they had turned into his Starkiller, the troops, the ships. Hux took a deep breath and began his speech.

"Today is the end of the Republic! The end of a regime that acquiesces to disorder!" Hux hoped Ben had contacted the Resistance and that they were on their way. "At this very moment in a system far from here, the New Republic lies to the galaxy while secretly supporting the treachery of the loathsome Resistance!" He hoped they had Dameron with them, if someone could infiltrate the shields and destroy the oscillator, as much as it pained Hux, that was Dameron. Not that the General would admit that his rival for Ben's affections was the best pilot. Not even under torture. 

"This fierce machine which you have built,upon which we stand," His machine. His Starkiller, the greatest achievement of his life, destroyed by his own hand for a Senator of the New Republic. Hux should be ashamed, but he wasn't. He had always been his father's principal source of shame, this won't change anything. " will bring an end to the Senate, to their cherished fleet!" The resistance could come anytime they wanted, any time at all "ALL REMAINING SYSTEMS WILL BOW TO THE FIRST ORDER AND WILL REMEMBER THIS AS THE LAST DAY OF THE REPUBLIC!" Hux was starting to sweat, it was time to charge the Starkiller. The red beam coming from the nearby sun illuminated the sky, its light casting dark shadows on the surface of the planet. Hux looked at the red stripe in the sky, and wished Ben would hurry up with that attack.

Everyone cheered and Hux felt the sweat on his skin and his uniform asphyxiating him as the base started sucking in the power of the sun. Hux fled back to his quarters, glad of his rooms being fairly close to the private dock for the high ranking officer's shuttles. He flung his greatcoat aside, followed by his hat, his gloves and his uniform jacket. He even undid the first buttons of his shirt. He only had to wait for the Resistance. 

Hux was anxious. Just two hours from the deadline, there was no sign of the Resistance. If they didn't arrive soon, it would have been all for naught, and Ben would die. Hux still hoped against all hope that his mother, General Organa or his father, Smuggler and former General Solo would have evacuated the obnoxious brat by dragging him by his gigantic ears to a safe place. But Hux knew Ben. He would be trying to help to the best of his abilities, and would probably give up his own seat on a transport to save a child or a sick old lady or a stray puppy. 

The General had been lying on his bed when that thought put his heart in his throat. Ben would do something like that. Hoping fervently that the Resistance would save the day. Hux tried to shake those grim thoughts of Ben staying behind, firmly convinced that he would survive, only to discover that the Resistance didn’t make it on time, to see the red strike in the sky and to know he was doomed, destroyed by the weapon Hux had designed. 

Hux paced.

He couldn’t let things end like that. Not like that. Starkiller was his pet project. If it killed Ben, Hux wouldn't be able to forgive himself.

The pacing stopped. Just like sending the blueprints was the obvious course of action before, now the path Hux had to walk was clear before him. He was the architect, and he knew how to destabilize the structure so a shot would result in an explosion before the weapon could be fired. An explosion that would most likely destroy the Starkiller and Hux himself, but desperate times called for desperate measures. Grabbing his gloves, securing his blaster on his hip, fetching his greatcoat, and adjusting his hat, he exited the room with his pad under his arm.

Hux stole a tool belt on his way to the equator of the planet where the energy would be concentrated and directed towards the target. The structure of the cannon was titanic, but Hux knew its most vulnerable parts. It was amazing what a few screws out of place could do. He ditched the greatcoat and dropped the hat along the way, rolling up his sleeves as he worked on loosening one by one the screws of this section of the Starkiller. He had been working on this for a while, and the weapon would be unable to shoot without blowing up part of the planet in the process. Hux was a mess, the black grease was staining his face and his white shirt, his hair out of place, the gel slowly dissolving and allowing the red strands to fall on his face. So deep into the planet, the temperature was fairly warm and the General was sweating buckets.

He heard a sound, and stopped working. No one should be around this part of the cannon. He looked at the cloaked figure in black coming closer and closer to his position. Caedus Ren, followed by eight stormtroopers with their blasters ready. Hux didn't waste any time, and fled, using to his advantage his superior knowledge of the plans of Starkiller.

The place had several levels, all of them made of steel platforms and staircases. The pipes and tubes that formed the cooling system of the cannon, blowing steam every few minutes, where a nice hiding spot for Hux. He could take the troopers, but Ren was another matter completely. He had to warn the Resistance, and, if he was lucky, say goodbye to Ben. After all, that was the only reason why he had been carrying his pad around. Hux could hear the troopers, divided in groups of two, looking for him. Ren hadn’t moved. He knew the troopers would eventually find Hux. The General wanted to snort at such overconfidence. Hux didn’t make it to General without being good at killing people. He might not be as bulky as Ren or Phasma, but he was fast, agile, and cunning. 

He grabbed his blaster and his hand went for the vibroblade he used to carry in the inner pocket of his jacket, now forgotten in his rooms.

He chose the manual screwdriver instead, not the electrical one he had been using, because it was longer and would be able to penetrate the armour of the troopers. Moving like a shadow, in complete silence, Hux circled a pair of stormtroopers and came at them from behind. It was easy enough to drag one of them into the darkness with an arm around his neck while shooting the other one straight in the chest. The trooper in his arms twisted to break free, and Hux let him, knowing he wouldn’t be able to match the soldier’s strength. Before he could shoot him with his blaster, Hux stabbed him in the neck; just where the helmet didn’t quite protected the tender flesh beneath. 

The trooper made a strangled sound, and then fell to his knees clutching his neck. The blood sprayed from the wound and drenched Hux from head to toes as he yanked free the screwdriver. He used the sleeve that wasn’t covered in blood to clean his face. He tucked the screwdriver in his boot and grabbed the blaster from the dead trooper. 

Hux run into the maze of pipes and water tanks. If he could make it to the hangar, he could probably steal a ship and try to escape. He saw a flash of white, and without thinking, he aimed and shot twice, falling both troopers. He never stopped running, hiding and circling the stormtroopers and killing them one by one as he retreated. In the end, Caedus Ren moved, and that’s when Hux knew he was doomed.

With only one trooper left, he decided to make a run for it. It was difficult not to give into panic with the dark shadow of the knight’s robes following him, far enough to give him certain advantage, but so close Hux dare not to stop running, even when his lungs were about to give up. He reached the elevators and entered one, pressing the button for the officer’s level and the docks. Perhaps he would make it yet. Perhaps not everything was lost. Hux wanted to cry to scream, to bang his fists against the walls of the elevator. Who was he trying to fool? He grabbed the pad, trying to even his breath while sitting cross-legged, his back resting on the cool metal. 

He called Ben, but the other one didn’t pick it up. It was normal, taking in count the situation. Ben must have been busy with the evacuation, probably giving an encouraging speech or something like that, perhaps out of the system already, helping the refugees. Perhaps his mother had had the good sense of locking him away in the Resistance’s base and putting some guards with him. 

Hux sighed and opted for leaving him a message. When the tone signalled the beginning of the recorded message, Hux was surprised by his own appearance. His hair was a mess, falling into his face, messy and drenched in sweat and blood, making the strands stick together. His face was pale and sweaty with streaks of dried blood on it, his eyes wide and desperate, and his shirt was a mess of sweat and bloodstains. He swallowed and cleared his throat. He felt like crying for all they could have had.

Hux thought that he should have defected years ago, and perhaps Ben and he could have been together, working hand in hand for the good of the galaxy.

Perhaps being physically close Dameron wouldn’t have won Ben’s heart.

Hux looked at the camera with all the emotions that Ben made him feel in his eyes, and smiled sadly.

“Ben, I have waited for the Resistance to launch an attack on the base. I’m sorry I couldn’t wait anymore. I was worried they wouldn’t make it on time. I have damaged the cannon enough that any attempt at firing the Starkiller will result on the partial destruction of the planet.Caedus Ren knows of my treason and is on his way to, presumably, execute me or take me back to the Supreme Leader for punishment. I’m sorry Ben, I have done all I could, now it’s the turn of the Resistance to save the day. I regret not having met you in person. I regret never telling you how I feel about you… Ben… I …”

The elevator stopped abruptly and then shook when something impacted with the bottom. Hux jumped to his feet and took the pad from where it had been thrown. He wasn’t going to leave this world without telling Ben. That would be so cliché. And Hux would die before becoming a stereotype. 

“Ben I love you” he said, faster than he intended, hitting send and throwing the pad against the floor, shattering the screen, just when the red light of Caedus lightsaber cut an opening into the elevator. Hux aimed his blaster and fired. The first shot hit the pad and destroyed it, the second hit the vibrant red light of the knight’s saber and the third got Caedus on the wrist just as the knight propped himself into the cabin. 

Hux kept firing, even if the knight just deflected the laser beams with his lightsaber. In the end, it was over pathetically soon. Caedus raised a hand and an invisible force lifted Hux from the floor, sending him against the wall with great strength. The impact made him hiss in pain. 

His arms spread open against his will and the blaster fell from his hand. Caedus approached, laughing softly. He stood before Hux, and removed his mask. A man only a few years younger than the General himself stared back at Hux. His face would have been handsome if not for the scar that bisected his face, a blow that had taken part of his nose, blinded his right eye and twisted the end of his upper lip and his left cheek, making the teeth visible. The man’s lips were twisted in something akin to a smile. A very pleased, cruel smile.

The invisible force abandoned Hux and he fell, just to be grabbed by Caedus by his throat and thrown against the wall again. The knight pressed his gloved hands to Hux’s throat, effectively cutting his air supply. The hand travelled up his neck in a mock caress and Hux shivered in pure disgust. He couldn’t hide it and that only made the knight laugh harder. The leather covered thumb ran over Hux’s lips and forcefully entered his mouth.

“Your mind was amazingly silent to me, General; I admit that I admired your control and your ruthlessness. But your panic for your Senator’s wellbeing made you drop your defences. Hmm? It was your precious Ben who did this to me…but now, now he will die. A pity that I cannot kill him myself”

Hux was astonished. He hadn’t known Ben could do so much damage to someone. He was a politician, not a warrior. But he was sure that whatever Caedus did, it had been bad enough for Ben to maim him like that. The grip on his neck became tighter.

“I would rather kill him slowly and painfully, you have feelings for him, I wonder if he has feelings for you? Would he scream, and rage and cry in despair if I was to skin you alive in front of him? Would he come to your rescue if he heard your cries of pain and agony?”

A white hot fury invaded Hux. Ren wanted to hurt Ben. And he had the gall to threaten him to use Hux to do it. He couldn’t think or breathe anymore. He was the fury and the anger, twisting inside of him, shouting for him to attack, to kill, to destroy Caedus before he got to Ben. Faster than he thought he was able to move, Hux grabbed the screwdriver hidden in his boot and stabbed Caedus in the elbow, twisting the metal and pulling it free. 

The other let him go with a cry of pain, and Hux took that chance to stab the man again in his knee.Caedus fell to his knees with another cry; this one of rage mixed with pain and bared his teeth with a roar of pure hatred. The General, now in the floor of the lift, felt the strange force surrounding him again and squeezing. Hux screamed and dropped the screwdriver. Everything went black as his air supply was cut and he passed out.

 

 

Ben’s life had been turned upside down by a single call. He had been on the Senate, bored beyond measure when he had received a call from Hux. 

Their relationship was a strange and dangerous one, but it was one that Ben cherished above all others, and he had long since come to terms with his feelings towards the General. 

He knew the other man felt the same. Their relationship was based on Ben wearing revealing outfits to their meetings that had his parents and friends sighting in defeat and Hux’s wearing as many clothes as he could without smothering himself on them, on verbal arguments laced with innuendos and double meanings and sexual frustration on both their parts. 

When Hux called, with a warning about total destruction, Ben sprang into action without a moment’s thought. In a few hours he had passed the information to his mother, who, in turn, had passed it to the Senate as the work of one of her spies in the Order.

In less than eight hours they had started taking people off planet. Ben had stayed behind to oversee the preparations for a full scale evacuation in case the attack the Resistance was planning failed. Launching an offensive was a difficult feat when one didn’t know where or what it was what they’re supposed to be attacking. 

Ben was getting ready for bed, when the second message came. It gave him hope that they could save the people of the Hosnian system. It broke all hopes of retrieving Hux alive. But the Skywalkers and the Solos were known for making possible the impossible, and Ben threw himself into the preparations of the mass evacuation of Hosnian prime and the rest of the planets of the system. Once the main evacuation plan was set in motion, Ben didn’t lose any time before changing into his jedi robes and leaving for D’Qar. 

For the rest of the Republic, Ben Solo was in one of the great vessels full of refugees, in disguise, like many other senators. For the Resistance, the powerful jedi knight, Kylo Ren, had arrived from the Jedi Temple on Yavin IV to lead the knights that accompanied him in an attack against the First Order and the fearsome Knights of Ren.

Kylo Ren, who many thought the bastard son of Luke Skywalker himself, or other believed the younger brother of Senator Ben Amidala. They certainly had a likeness, both were tall and had dark hair, but, where the Senator moved with the practised moves of the royalty, Kylo moved like a predator, in long strides, not a single moved wasted. Where Ben Amidala wore white Naboo makeup and expensive jewelled gowns, Kylo wore the simple attire of the Jedi, in beiges and browns. Where Ben Organa had a lovely seductive voice, fit for a politician to entrance and sway his allies, Kylo Ren had a deep, smooth voice, and spoke only when necessary, and was always with a calm expression on his face, unlike the Senator, who, even with his makeup, was able to convey his emotions with a single look.

The squadrons were ready to fly to the Starkiller, the pilots waiting for their leaders to exit the chambers of the war council. Poe had been with Ben since they left Hosnian Prime, trying to convince him not to go to the surface, to no avail.

“Why can’t you just blow up the place and be done with it?” asked Poe, for the eighth time in an hour. 

“Because I will not abandon Brendol to his death, after what he did for all of us” This time, his parents joined the argument. 

“Ben, darling, I know you want to save him, but you don’t even know where he is, please, you shouldn’t even go in this mission,” said Leia “If you are lost to us, how will we explain to the Senate?” Ben’s labour with the Senate was his greatest achievement yet. He had the influences and the popularity to push for some necessary reforms within the Republic. He was making changes, big changes; Leia had disagreed with him being on active duty since he was elected Senator. 

Han understood him, a little bit, but that didn’t meant he was supportive of his idea. “Ben, I understand that you want to save your boyfriend, but you cannot go, we are supposed to plant charges on the oscillator to blew it up. It’s too risky for you. One thing is hunting Knights of Ren while people think you are on vacation. Assassination plots are easy to fake. But the whole New Republic thinks you are in one of the ships from Hosnian Prime. It’s not the same.” Ben rolled his eyes and huffed. His parents didn’t like the idea of him getting hurt. In their minds he was still the ten year old boy they sent to train with Luke all those years ago. 

Chewie growled in agreement. Ben growled back at him. Of course Ben wasn’t going to let Han and Chewie look for Hux. Force knows what kind of terrible disaster they would cause if left unsupervised with his boyfri… with his friend. 

Another growl from the Wookie made Ben frown. 

“Of course I don’t trust you with him!! There is no way I would let you meet him for the first time on your own. Plus, dad, Uncle Chewie, this will be more dangerous for you thanto me. There is at least one Knight of Ren on that base.” Launching an attack with the X-wings to give the Falcon enough time to break through their shields and plant enough explosives on that damned oscillator to blew it up was a piss poor plan in Ben’s opinion. Especially when it was his father who was going to be running on those arthritic legs of his around a snowy planet.  
“You don’t want me to go alone? Well, I don’t want you to go alone either” 

There was a growl from Chewie.

“No, Chewie, you don’t count, Force users cannot be fought by a bowcaster alone. We go together and plant the charges. If Caedus appears, I will take care of him. Deal?” Han was grimacing, but he knew better than to argue with Ben when he gave him that look. It was Leia’s look of decision, and it meant Ben wouldn’t back off or change his mind. Leia didn’t make a sound but, though her smile was pleased, her eyes were full of worry. 

“You will not face Caedus alone, Ben.” Luke was standing by the door, dramatically covered by his brown cloak, followed closely by his padawan, Rey. Ben frowned. Luke had being injured during a skirmish with a knight of Ren last month. He shouldn’t have been out of the bacta tanks yet. 

Han beat Ben in lecturing Luke. “What do you think you are doing running around Kid? You better get into that tank again before Chewie and I drag you back by your ear.” 

“You exaggerate.” Han made a not very polite sound, seconded by Chewie’s displeased growl, before moving to direct Luke towards a chair. The Jedi followed him, a sheepish smile on his face. 

“Rey will go with you. She’s nearly ready for her trials. Between the two of you, there is no Sith you can’t defeat.” 

Ben’s pad chimed, announcing a message. It was from Hux. Ben’s heart jumped from his chest to his throat, before he sent a silent prayer to the force. Let him have escaped the planet. Let him be safe and on his way to me. Let him live. Ben felt the Force surrounding him, like a warm blanket. He breathed on. His mind was peaceful and calm. He smiled when the force signatures of the ghosts of masters past briefly touched him. He was not alone. None of them was really alone. They could do this.

But then Ben opened the message, and his world shattered and his peace was turned into a storm. 

In his pad, he could see Hux, hair in disarray, his face, hair and white shirt covered in blood. It gave a sad smile to the camera before the image went fuzzy and disappeared. Only the audio worked. Ben kept thinking of that sad smile and loving gaze.

“Ben, I have waited for the Resistance to launch an attack on the base,” said Hux’s voice, sounding tired and out of breath. “I’m sorry I couldn’t wait anymore. I was worried they wouldn’t make it on time. I have damaged the cannon enough that any attempt at firing the Starkiller will result on the partial destruction of the planet.” Hux had sabotaged the Starkiller on his own? How? 

Ben’s heart skipped a beat. Starkiller was Hux’s creation. He had refused several times to leave or destroy it. He had only relented when Ben’s life was on the line. Did he destroy it with his own hands for Ben? The Jedi Knight felt his lips forming a dumb smile and his eyes stung with tears of emotions contained and unnamed “ Caedus Ren knows of my treason and is on his way to, presumably, execute me or take me back to the Supreme Leader for punishment.” Leia, Rey and Ben gasped. Han’s eyes hardened. Ben’s eyes watered. As much as he loved Hux, very few could escape a force user on the hunt.

“I’m sorry Ben, I have done all I could, now it’s the turn of the Resistance to save the day. I regret not having met you in person. I regret never telling you how I feel about you… Ben… I …” Ben swallowed, trying to dissolve the heavy lump lodged in his throat. Though they had been an item for years, none had said the words, letting their feelings show in other ways, because they both know the dangerous game they played. There was a pause, and a horrible sound, the screech of the elevator stopping.

A second, then Hux’s voice, reverent, soft, full of emotion “Ben I love you” he said, and the sound of a lightsaber cutting through steel was followed by a blaster being fired and static.

Ben was flooded by a rage than left him trembling, jaws clenched, on the spot. If Caedus had damaged one single hair of Brendol's head, he would personally see that the knight was eviscerated with a dessert spoon. Leia went to hold her son in her arms, rubbing his back soothingly. Her poor, poor son. Han stared, Luke sighted and Chewacca roared. Rey broke the silence "Well, we should go, shouldn't we?"

Poe ran into the room out of breath. Ben wanted to scream. Something must have happened. Why did they have so much bad luck? Ben could never understand it. It was always some last minute fuck up that will make everything high risk and the whole mission would depend on a single impossible shot and that shot would be fired the last minute. This situation was the death star all over again. Poe was holding a very confused man, with dark skin and the look of a frightened puppy. The man dressed in black was holding an envelope in his free hand.

"you won't believe this" said Poe "you most definitely are not going to believe this, go on Finn" he gave the boy a gentle push forward "tell them" Ben glared at Poe "Weren't you supposed to be waiting for the rest of the fleet to launch an attack to Starkilled base? What are you doing here?" 

Poe seemed confused for a minute, then smiled and hoisted his arms over Finn's shoulders, smiling wildly. "Well, you sent me ahead to scout the coordinates given to you by your General Sexypants, and, in addition to starkiller base, i found Finn. He was a trooper, he was deserting from the First Order. We had a few problems, we decided to land and meet each other face to face, and then Finn decided to come with me back to the base, and we were found by a patrol, and i got hit while kicking their asses back to hell, and i couldn't tell you about Finn. But now we are here, and i'm telling you, he has to tell you something. So, listen carefully. Go on babe, rock their worlds"

Finn was clearly nervous, and sweating, and though he seemed to like Dameron quite a lot he was clearly uncomfortable in the presence of the rest of the people in the room. He cleared his throat and looked nervously around. In the end, he put the envelope he carried in the table. "That's for Senator Amidala. Captain Phasma and others are going to leave the First Order because they are going to execute the General. I... i just wanted out. And Captain Phasma knew, and then she gave me that and let me go. Also, i have the General's cat."

"Cat?" Han asked. 

Ben's eyes widened "Millicent? You have Millicent?" Finn flinched, and nodded. 

"The Captain put a lot of things in the shuttle. I have a message for Senator Ben Amidala..." Ben looked hungrily at him, he crossed the room and stood before Finn. 

"What message? is it about Hux? Is it? Where are they holding him, how many knights are on the planet?" Finn looked scared out of his wits by the big bulky jedi shaking him back and forth. Poe grabbed Ben's arm. 

"Hey, hey, hey, Kylo, chill, leave Finn alone" Ben let go of the storm...no, of the ex-trooper, and stepped back "Are you alright buddy?" Finn shivered slightly and Poe quickly put his own jacket on the other man's shoulders. 

Ben wanted to roll his eyes, and tease Poe to hell and back at the same time. Dameron had a stupid shy smile on his face, and his eyes shone every time he looked at Finn. Poe watched how Finn slipped into his jacket and bit his lip appreciating how the leather hugged the arms muscled by the training of the younger man. Ben smiled wickedly. Oh yes, Poe got it bad.

"Well, let's go pick up your boyfriend and save the day then" said Han, marching out of the room followed by Rey and Chewie. Poe exited the room cheerfully chatting Finn's ear off, and that only left Leia, Luke, and Ben. 

"Honey, whatever that message says, we are here for you" said Leia "Right by your side, Woo" Ben winced at the nickname. Uncle Luke and the rest would never let him live down the fact that he wanted to be a Wookie when he was three. And four. And six. Then puberty hit him like a brick and he had grown to be a classified as a hairless runt of a wookie. 

In time Kylo the padawan and then Ben the senator had made people forget about Benny-woo, who wanted to be a wookie. Ben glared at his smiling uncle and reached for the enveloped. Inside there was a pad. A map showed where exactly Hux was being held, Hux, Ben noted, and some officers and troopers that hadn't taken very kindly the imprisonment of their General. Even being enemies, Ben was proud of the loyalty Brendol inspired among his men. In the datapad were the files on three Knights of Ren, one of them, the Master of the Knights of Ren, Caedus.

"Well, he is alive" said Leia "that's good" Luke grimaced "Clearly Sion want's you to face him on a duel, Ben, i don't like this" 

"I can kick Sion's ass to Tattoine and back with my eyes closed and an arm tied behind my back" Luke was breathing hard and Ben could feel the pain coming from him.

"you should go back to the infirmary, Uncle, I will take care of Rey. Worry not, my old master, for you trained me well" Luke smiled weakly and Leia came to help him up and back to the tender cares of the medical staff. Ben stopped her, pad in hand. "Mom, i know is weird, but, can you take care of Millicent until we get back?" 

Leia looked at him confused. "Millicent who?" Ben blushed and smiled "Hux's cat, Millicent, Finn said she was in the shuttle. Please mom, i'm sure whatever Caedus is doing to him it can't be very pleasant. Seeing his cat would cheer him up a bit"

Luke gave them both his best impression of a puppy's eyes. "A cat? A cat, cat?not some kind of alien breed?" 

Ben smiled "a cat, cat. An orange tabby" a moment of silence. Ben knew what was coming next.

"Can i have her until your boyfriend comes to fetch her?" Leia smiled and shook her head. Ben laughed.”I’m old and in pain, a Cat cat would be so nice I’m sure holding a purring fluffy warm ball of love would make me recover faster…” Leia rolled her eyes and Ben laughed.  
"Yes uncle, of course".

By the time Ben reached the Falcon they were ready to go. Once on the hyperspace, Ben retreated to the couch to meditate. They had, by some weird reason, brought Finn with them, and Rey and him were chatting in the cockpit, with Chewie intervening every once in awhile. Ben closed his eyes and let himself be surrounded by the Force. He left his body and launched his consciousness across the stars, in search of Hux. He was greeted by a wall of ever growing Darkness. Snoke's taint and Caedus and his knights strong force signature enveloping the Starkiller like a blanket. 

There was a time when two padawans dreamnt of glory and adventures. There was a time when Sion and Ben practiced together the katas and meditated side by side. They wanted to be powerful knights of the Republic, freeing slaves and defeating Sith lords as they travelled the Galaxy together. Ben's natural strength and talent made for him effortless to master the teachings of his uncle. It was in his blood. The voice that reached from the shadows to speak in his head promised power and greatness, but Ben was happy with what he had and the family that loved him. Sion struggled, less powerful than Ben.

In time, the jealousy of the knight, his envy, left him bared to the Dark Side. The voice reached out again, and poisoned him bit by bit. Sion and Ben still were the best of friends. One day, Ben kissed Sion. and the best of friends became the happiest boyfriends. Sion and Ben became jedi knights at the same time, burning their padawan braids and changing their names for new ones. Ben became Kylo Ren, and following his example, Sion became Caedus Ren. They would train the very best to be with them the elite of the jedi. But Ben's nights were full of nightmares, of black robes and red lightsabers and death. 

Sion pleaded and cried, but Ben left the Temple to became a Senator. They weren't always together. Sion looked with jealous eyes male and female alike that surrounded Ben. They fought. Ben wasn't a thing to be possessed. Sion knew Ben looked down at him. Because Ben was a prince, And Sion was no one. Because Ben was powerful and radiant where Sion was weak and mediocre. They fought. They made up. Times were stormy and complicated. Sion decided to become more powerful, to be strong enough to make sure Ben wouldn't left him again. Strong to ensure they were together, always. 

Ben came back to find rain, mud and death, black robes and masks and red sabers. Luke and the older padawan's were trying to repel the attack. Ben, who had been visiting and Poe, who had flew him there were tasked with taking the younglings to safety. Ben had ushered the children into their transport and stayed behind to ensure no knights went after them.

In the middle of a fight that would pass into history, Ben Organa, as the Jedi Knight Kylo Ren, became known as Sithbane. He killed one of the knights, and raced back to where his uncle and the others were fending off the other attackers, some force sensitive and stormtroopers in a battle that was long and bloody. One knight went after Ben on his own. Ben didn't want to remember the rage and the pain, the betrayal, when he discovered Sion behind the mask. It ended with Ben, lightsaber in hand, crying in the rain, while his former lover laid on the mud, his face cleaved in two and a leg cut off. Ben sometimes regretted not finishing him off. He regretted having allowed the other knights to retrieve their master and flee. But Ben didn't knew what happened until he woke up in the Resistance hospital, with a broken heart and a bad case of pneumonia.

Ben had always walked that thin line between dark and light. He was what he was. He had long since accepted it. it gave him power and freedom, and peace. Hux had helped him more than anyone knew. Hux, that was a part of the First Order that had twisted Sion away from Ben, a part that Ben could attack and belittle and best. But then, then Hux's quick wit and clever tongue had started to make Ben's days. His sarcastic commentaries, their little verbal sparring matches, were little things that annoyed Ben but left him with a smile in his face for hours. 

Time passed. They became friends, weird as it was, both trying to sway the other to their cause, but remaining always loyal. Ben had fallen in love. Hux and him had started that twisted strange relationship of late night calls and gifts send by smugglers back and forth from the front lines. Small things, sometimes, like a little customized leather collar for Hux's little kitten. A note and a very nice stylus were sent back.

Ben's first birthday after he was named Senator and started his relationship with Hux was a simple but elegant gold circlet. Ben made sure to send Hux in his birthday a silver necklace, one matching the one that Ben wore during the official call from the Senator to present his respects to the representative of the First Order in his birthday. This little thing continued, sometimes Ben sent hints, like a very elaborated nightgown, or a jeweled jacket, but Hux never wore them in public. He couldn’t have done it even if he wanted, at the risk of being accused of treason. Ben liked to imagine him hiding in his rooms, wearing the clothes Ben gave him. It was true that perhaps Ben's own desire for Hux clouded his judgement when choosing the gifts, and they were a little transparent or the cut low enough to show the lowest part of the back, or a rosy nipple. 

Ben recognized that he generally showed less skin in public than when he was on a meeting with the good General. But it was quite difficult for him, a man of passions, to see the loved one and never been able to touch him. And Hux was always wearing his full uniform, no matter what, even the greatcoat. Ben at first had tried to restrain himself. But then Hux would remove one of his gloves, torturing Ben with the display of long digits with lily white skin that surely belonged to a pianist instead of a soldier.

Ben answered by wearing revealing outfits that framed his tall and muscled body, enhancing his sculpted form. Ben's pleasure at watching Hux's pupils eat the green of his eyes and his breath quickening at the sight of the Senator had no match.

Ben concentrated on Hux.

He was somewhere, alone, in pain, and calm as one that may have accepted his death as a certainty could be. Ben panicked. Hux was too calm, but at that distance, Ben couldn’t do much more than pinpointing the General’s location. A small tremble shook Ben. They were close to the planet’s shields.

Ben got up and went to the cockpit. He stretched and looked at the four people gathered in there. Rey and Finn had stopped chatting, but remained close, Rey grimed faced and Finn looking pretty scared. Han and Chewacca were concentrating on the approach. “Dad, the shields are still up!” 

“Yeah” said Han Solo, cocky grin in his face. 

“Dad, How do you intend to cross it?”

“Well…”

“He wants to make the approaching at lightspeed” chirped Finn, face paler than before .

“What?” Force have mercy on him, his father had another brilliant plan. Ben wished he hadn’t meditated on the trip, and, instead, had gone over the plan of action with Han and Rey. 

“Brace yourselves!” Han said. Chewacca roared, Finn cried and Rey made a weird distressed noise. Ben fell on his butt when they crash landed into a pile of snow.

Ben scrambled to his feet after that undignifying fall, and Han’s hand came to rest on his son’s shoulders. The older man had a half smile and eyes full of compassion. “We will get him back, Ben, just wait and see”.

With the blueprints Hux had sent on their pads, weapons ready, and Chewie with a sack full of explosives on his back, they were good to go. They got divided in two teams. Finn, who knew the base like the back of his hand due to his time as a trooper, would go with Chewie and Rey to try and lower down the shields. Rey wanted to go with Ben, but he couldn’t leave the others unprotected against the Knights of Ren and he didn’t want to risk Hux or the success of the mission. 

Relying on the Force alone to navigate a gargantuan complex wasn’t the best of the ideas, but Ben, well; Kylo right now, was doing his best to take them to Hux and not force choke Han to stop his incessant critics about Ben’s shortcuts that lead to dead ends. Ben had to take detours and turn here and there often enough not to run into a patrol, or the knight that guarded the cells.He was getting tired of hiding his force signature, but taking down one of the dark adepts on his own wasn’t a risk he was willing to take, with Hux so close. 

In the end, at the same time Ben’s patience was rewarded and the knight left his post, the relief he felt was crushed by dread. Because the huge explosion that was heard from the cell complex could only be from Rey and the others. A part of him wanted to run to their help, but he knew this was his only chance. Han was already on the move, blasting the door’s lock to hell and rushing inside the tiny room to help a battered Hux to his feet. 

Ben’s mouth dried at the sight. Though he had clear signs of force inflicted torture, the dizziness, the inability to stand straight and the tiny little bit of dried spit in the corner of his lovely pink mouth, Hux’s appearance wasn’t what Ben was used to. The prim and proper general wasn’t wearing his uniform, the usual attire he had grew so fond of, oftenly expecting a particular heated discussion only to watch Hux undo the two first buttons of his jacket to reveal the white shirt beneath. 

The man before him wore only the regulation white shirt, sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and the fabric stained with dried blood. The crimson liquid, now brown coloured stained the garment, Hux’s face and part of his red hair, matting the strands together. The silky locks were free from the gel the General combed his hair with, and fell over his brow where they weren’t coated in blood. The pallor of skin was like marble, and his green eyes stood out in his lovely face, framed by the mess it was his sunset coloured hair. If Ben wasn’t hopelessly in love with the man already, he would have fallen hard and fast for him on the spot. 

Hux had an arm over Han’s shoulders, and they were both limping towards the exit. Ben swallowed hard, and waited. This was it. The first time they met in person. Hux, the real, fleshy version of his beloved General was just in front of him. After his passionate confession from before, Ben could only imagine what Hux was going to do when he realized just exactly who came with Han Solo to his rescue. 

Ben had a tender smile prepared for him when Hux looked at him in the eye. Those green orbs widened, and the pink lips opened and closed several times until they formed a perfect o. 

This was it. The moment Ben had been anticipating for so long. Hux would throw himself into Ben’s waiting arms, and hug him tightly while they kissed, passionately, pouring all their feelings into it.

Instead, Hux just stood there.

“You are Kylo Ren, the Sithbane” he said.

By Ben’s side, Han snorted and muttered something that sounded suspiciously like “far too much make up, kid”.

Ben didn’t know what to do. He stood frozen on the entrance for two long minutes until his poor brain decided to catch up again. 

Of course, Hux had just been tortured; he could barely stand on his feet. He saw Ben’s jedi attire and blurted the faux name. Clever Hux, keeping Ben’s little secret a secret for any possible cameras. Ben smile returned. 

Oh, Hux. Ben remembered softly how Hux would rant for hours at the Senate about what the unruly Jedi Knight would do inside the First Order space, slaying the new knights of Ren and stealing supplies and allies. Hux would stare at Ben during those rants and the senator would feel himself blush under the makeup. Hux most definitely was very bad at flirting, praising his combat skills with the lightsaber and use of the Force and his cleverness so boldly in front of all the others. 

“Come on Bren, we have to get the others and hit hyperspace before this blows up in pieces.” said Ben, turning on his heels, silly little smile still on his lips. 

“Wait! We cannot leave like this. Wait, wait, my men, my… men. They are holding the troops loyal to meeld prisoners here. I will notwon’t leave them to die. They won’t evacuate them once the base is considered a lost cause” Ben’s heart speeded upquickened his pace. Oh, his brave, kind General, so considerate. 

Turning on his lightsaber, Ben made a quick trip to where the prisoners were being held and cut the doors open. 

An impressive number of officers and troopers alike were crammed into the cells. The men and women stared at him like he had a second head. Understandable, though, since Jedi were a strange sight and their experience with Force users wasn’t the best. An amazonian woman with short white blonde hair wearing a silver armor came forward. 

“Who are you and what are you doing here.” It was more of a demand than a question, and she managed to look threatening even unarmed and without helmet.

“I am the Jedi breaking you lot of of here. This is where civilised people say “thank you”.

“If this is really a rescue, you must free the General. He’s being kept somewhere else.There is one of us kept prisoner, the General…” Ben realized this had to be Phasma, with the shining armour, always at Hux’s right during their meetings.

“Hux sent me,” the doubt coming in waves from the scared group was understandable “he’s just down the corridor. You need to evacuate this base as fast as you can. It’s going to blow up.” Phasma frowned. Clearly she didn’t trust him, but she nodded once, turned to the rest of the group.

“You heard the Jedi. Move to the hangar and proceed with the evacuation, leave the proximities of the Starkiller Base and await orders from the General. Avoid capture or destruction at all costs”, she ordered, authoritative. 

With orders to follow, the soldiers woke up from their stupor and sprang into action. They formed groups and left in different directions to try and get to one of the hangars and steal a transport. 

Phasma though, stuck close to Ben when he left to rejoin Hux and Han. “You should go with the others” he said, trying to be as polite as he could. The tall woman sneered at him. 

“I’m going with you, I will hear no objections.” A brief pause “Did FN-2187 ever make it to you base?” Ben gave her an amused smile, thinking about the very obvious flirting a very flustered Poe have been doing on the poor boy and the way he had grabbed Rey’s hand like a life savior during the landing.

“He is more than fine, I assure you. And his name is Finn, now, apparently.” 

Phasma looked surprised, clearly she relied on her helmet to hide her expressions, her face was very funny, with the blue eyes big as saucers and the mouth hanging open. She recovered fast enough and nodded. They had Han and Hux in sight now, they had advanced a good distance from the cell, but not as much as they would have if Hux’s mind hadn’t been brutally assaulted a few hours before.   
“I sent a cat with… Finn..is it…?”

“Millicent is with my Un…with Master Skywalker, she’s perfectly fine” Hux stood straight at the mention of his beloved cat.

“Millie… Millie! I need to go to my rooms, I have to get my cat!” he said and tried to leave Han behind, but the old man had enough strength on him to keep him still. Ren must have scrambled his mind more than they originally thought. 

Ben jogged to his side and hugged him carefully “Hux, Bren, don’t worry, don’t worry, we have Millicent, she is safe, the little space princess is fine and safe. We will get you to her” 

Han was giving Ben a very amused look. The younger Solo rolled his eyes and patted Hux on the head. The man seemed to be more and more like himself with every passing second. As to prove he was recovered and back to his old self, Hux shook himself free and stood straight and proud. Phasma moved to flank Hux. There was a tense silence that Han ended by coughing to clear his throat and saying.

"We should get to the Falcon now, and go fetch the rest of the kids, Luke will be so annoyed if one of those knights gets to his padawan... not to think about what your mother will say if one of them gets to you" .

Ben growled as an answer, a wookie swear word of the worst kind. 

Phasma nodded "Where is your ship? I can get us out of here quickly" Han and Ben shared a look and shrugged "came in here guiding ourselves by the force, we don't know where the Falcon is" Hux glared at them at the mention of the Falcon. He looked at Han from head to toe, in all his scruffy smugglerish glory "You are Han Solo, Ben's father" he said, in awe "Yes, yes, yes, the one and only, here Captain Shiny, where to the forest?" Phasma marched forward and they followed.

Hux was trying his best to keep himself upright, but his little stunt wasn't fooling his own body. He was the slowest of the group, counting Han in his old age and bad hip, and even when they jogged through the corridors, Ben's Force Powers slamming troopers against the walls and cleaning their path, Phasma and Han had their arms locked around Hux's own arms and were dragging him towards the forest and the snow. The brief thought of hypothermia passed his mind but he ignored him.   
At last they reached the exit. The group raced towards the wood while above them the TIE fighters roared and the X-wings dropped bomb after bomb on the oscillator’s structure, twirling and circling around the enemy's ships sent to fend off the attack, blasting them into oblivion.

When they reached the top of a snowy hill at the outskirts of the forest, they stopped abruptly. Right there on the plain, a speeder full of people was being pursued by a black craft where a lonely dark shape was using a lightsaber to deflect the laser beams the people of the first speeder was firing at him. Ben's breath caught in his throat "Caedus" the force signature gave him away. 

Rey was on the first speeder. Where were the other knights? Had the young padawan defeated them? Ben had heard the other jedi of the temple praising Rey for her talent and her hard work, speaking of how powerful she was. Powerful enough to take down a knight of Ren? Two? Ben turned to the rest of his group.

"You get to the Falcon, I will try and hold him back" Han wasn’t happy. Hux's eyes were wild, probably remembering how Caedus had tortured him a few hours ago. Han nodded, hugged Ben and left, followed by Phasma. Hux stood on top the hill for a little longer, looking at the chase that was taking place below them. Ben's blood became fire in his veins just thinking about Caedus touching his General. He smiled at Hux.

"Go with the others Bren, I will be alright" Ben noticed how close they were to one another, and subtly inclined a little bit to give the General a better access to his lips. This was a little bit strange, this first time being alone in the flesh, but Ben was about to face a dark adept of the force, so he thought that the circumstances of their first kiss were pretty good, even if they could be vastly improved.

Hux turned his head to gaze into Ben's eyes. They shared a passionate look before Ben smiled softly at Brendol and bended to brush delicately his lips with the soft pink lips of the redhead. the pliant mouth beneath his opened and Ben thought his heart would burst. How sweet, how shy and yet passionate, the General was. Ben embraced Hux, surprised of how thin his body was, and poured all his love in that kiss. He hadn't pictured their first kiss to include tongue, but How could Ben resist the invitation of Hux's open lips? 

The kiss ended and breathless, Ben smiled, a big bright smile for his beloved Hux. "Don't worry Bren" he said when Hux opened and closed his mouth, eyes wide and full of panic "I will come back" Ben kissed Hux’s cheek and ran to where the speeder was now close to the first rows of trees. He used the Force to make great jumps that shortened the distance faster than any human could run. He landed on top of the speeder, making both Finn and Rey scream.

Rey, who had been driving, make an abrupt turn and nearly sent Ben flying. "What the kriffing hell? Master Ren, you scared me half to death!" Ben shrugged.

"Where is Chewie?" Rey was too busy dodging trees to answer. It was Finn the one who took a rest from firing to the dark knight on their trail to turn and say "This two knights sensed us or something..." "I'm not good at covering my signature...." they talked at the same time, and Ben wanted to giggle. Oh, Poe was in serious trouble, with those two around. 

"They were so going to find us..." "...still had bombs to plant...." ".....Chewie said we should go....." “...Still don’t understand how you can understand that Wookie... ".....much better if i lured them away from the non sensitive right?..." and, in the end, they choired "So we decided to lead them away" 

Ben was fully laughing by then.

"You said there was two of them?" both of them blinked. Finn found his knees very interesting and Rey beamed.

"I engaged him in combat. And he totally cheated, so Finn shoots him on the leg and BAM off with his head!" "And Chewie?" "He was going to try and reach the Falcon while we distracted the knights".

"Pull over" said Ben "We will try and take down Caedus, so the others can reach the ship, Finn, I want you to run as fast as you can to the Falcon, Do you hear me?" Finn nodded. Rey grinned maniacally and drove the speeder to a halt. Ben let the impulse take him and used the force to land flawlessly a few meter from the kids. He signaled Finn with his hand and the other man started running towards the Falcon.  
Rey jumped out of the speeder just as Caedus drove his into it, causing a big explosion. Well. Now they were effectively trapped. Ben ignited his lightsaber, and the purple beam roared to life, crossguards extended. Rey had her own blue saber ready, and her whole body was tense, ready to spring forward for Caedus neck. He held her back with a look. The Master of the Knights of Ren was a dangerous man.   
The knight of Ren twirled his double red blade in a flourish. “Kylo Ren!” he roared.

Rey looked at Ben with a stony expression, and when he nodded, they attacked. Ben was grateful Rey was one of the best padawans of the new Temple. Her speed and skill with the blade were vital to make Caedus fall back to the other side of the clearing. The knight cheated, pushed and pulled with the Force at their legs, their ankles, their hands, trying to trip them or pry their lightsabers from their hands.   
“A padawan, Kylo? How strange that you should to take one. It will be so satisfying, to make you scream. I will kill her, and then your precious General, and I will make you watch” 

Ben did his best to ignore his baiting. The man was mad, and anything he said was to drive his thoughts away from the fight, to gain the upper hand. Ben ignored him, but Rey didn’t. 

“You wouldn’t be able to kill me in a thousand lifetimes!” she scream and thrusted with her sword. Ben parried the blow that would have taken her arm and scowled at her. Hush Rey, Hush, he thought at her, hoping to calm her down. 

“You will pay for what you did Kylo, you will pay for your betrayal in blood and tears!” Ben controlled his breathing, taking all the pain and the guilt and the remorse he felt facing Caedus and releasing them into the Force. The Force felt like a warm blanket around him, Ben grinned and tapped into that unending source of power. 

Ben’s advantage was to be able to fuel his powers on the light and the dark in equal parts. Just as the light side surrounded him, he used all the fear and rage for Hux treatment to fuel him in the fight. Caedus should retreat or fall before their swords.

A movement in the woods. The cracking of a twig, and a whisper in the Force had Ben and Rey alike jumping to dodge the new opponent. Another black clad figure in a mask. In their hands a long shaft that ended on a red laser beam. 

The Jedi didn’t move. Now the knights had a united front against them. Who would take Caedus and who would go against the new knight? In the end, Caedus roar echoed through the woods, taking the decision from them. 

When the new knight made a move to attack Ben, the closest to him, Caedus called the knight back “I alone will battle Kylo Ren, you take down the padawan!” 

Ben soon had to back off and try the best he could to stop the blades from maiming him. He thought of the promise he made to Hux. He would come back, in one piece, he would go back to him.

Rey was having some trouble, since the fighting style of the new enemy was a mystery to her, but she was a quick learner and soon she wasn’t only parring all their attacks, she was getting closer and closer to defeating them. 

Caedus and Ben were at an impasse. Both of them had charred clothes and some burnt lines of their bodies form the touch of a lightsaber, but none was hurt enough to retire. Another noise coming from the trees behind them. More knights? Ben would have to take Rey and flee deep into the forest if the rest of the knights were there. Kylo Ren had hunted down the original knights, but some of them were too powerful to kill on his own, and Uncle Luke and he only were able to chop off enough body parts to get them out of the action enough time for the Resistance to gain the upper hand in the war. 

It wasn’t a horde of knights of Ren what entered the clearing, but a breathless corellian smuggler with his blaster drawn and a look of fear and worry on his face, and a young ex-stormtrooper. 

"Ben!” Han shouted, his eyes tracing the hem of the burnt robes and the gaping holes that showed the charred skin beneath.

“Don’t worry old man! Just a few flesh wounds!” 

Rey turned to look at them for a second, a smile in her lips, and paid for her distraction when the dark Knight used the Force to slam her against a tree several feet off the ground. Her body made a loud, sickening noise when she fell to the ground.

Finn didn’t waste time.He shouted Rey’s name, and opened fire, his training kicking in, as he stepped closer to the fallen girl. 

The knight stopped the laser beams, and returned them, one of them making Finn drop his gun. The dark shadow walked to them and Finn tried to take Rey and run, but he wasn’t going to be able to do it in time… 

Finn’s fingers touched something in the snow. Rey’s lightsaber. He raised the weapon, trying to mimic Rey’s stance. 

“My Master wants the girl, Step out of my way, trooper.” Finn tensed, fighting years of conditioning and obeying orders blindly. 

“No” he whispered. He was done being a mindless slave, a pawn to die at others whims. He had a friend, his very first friend, who cared for him, and treated him like he was someone. He had Poe, who seemed fascinated by everything Finn did. That named Finn and trusted him from the very first moment. Poe, that had given Finn his jacket when Finn was asked to go to the Starkiller Base, because the ice planet was cold and he didn’t want Finn catching a cold. Rey, telling him stories of the Temple, and the Resistance and promising to show him around when they got back to D’Qar. 

“What did you say?” said the knight, raising their weapon to strike Finn “I said, no! You want the girl? You want her? Come and get her! I’m done following orders! I’m in charge now!”

Finn remembered having, long time ago, some kind of combat training to use vibroblades. Luckily, it seemed to work with lightsabers. He fended off the attacks, pushing the Knight away from Rey, fueled by his resolve. Han had been watching helplessly the fight between Ben… no, between Kylo Ren, Sithbane and Caedus Ren, Master of the Knights of Ren. Han shook his head. His kid would be all right. That wookie runt was tough. He turned his blaster towards the other knight and Finn and aimed. The knight now had to fend off both of their attacks. In time, Han was able to shoot them in their side, but he didn’t have time to enjoy it and let a smug grin took over his mouth, because following the enraged cry of pain, the knight twirled their weapon and sliced across Finn’s back, the boy going down with a cry of pain and lying unmoving on the snow. Han cursed in huttese and kept shooting at the other knight.

Walking backwards, and cursing, the smuggler saw himself cornered, his back hitting a tree trunk. “Dad!” Ben screamed, trying to get past Caedus, who was doing his best to keep the Jedi knight from his family. Han gulped. This was it, then? Han didn’t stop shooting until the bitter end. He had wounded the knight, but the black cladded nightmare kept walking towards him, spear raised. It hurt, but Han didn’t shout. His eyes widened, as the laser blade pierced his chest, and fell to the ground, his lips forming an o. 

“Dad! No! Dad!” Ben saw red. He couldn’t think, he couldn’t breathe, everything hurt. His chest felt like someone had ripped his beating heart out. His body didn’t felt like it was his anymore. His arms and legs had a will of his own, twirling the lightsaber in his hands, moving gracefully across the snow, he sliced at Caedus with renovated vigour. Thrust, parry, thrust, twirl, twirl, thrust. An opening. He drove the lightsaber down in an arc, drawing a long line from the knight’s shoulder to the opposite hip. Ben felt himself smile, a sadistic cruel smile, he put all his strength of the next blow, slicing the other man’s arm and leg clean off. When the man fell Ben called to him the now deactivated lightsaber and used his own to slice it into pieces at took the kyber crystals. It would be a while until Caedus Ren healed from his wounds, and longer still until he found suitable replacements for the crystals.

Ben then turned to the other knight, that had stood by and was sending through the force waves of horror and fear. Ben smirked. He was still furious. They had killed his father. Han hadn’t been the best father in the world, but he had been with Ben when he needed him. He had supported his decision of leaving the Jedi Temple, when all the others opposed. He had been the one who took him on a smuggling trip after the other until his mother had calmed down and proposed to help him get into politics. Han, who was nervous and awkward around Ben as a child, but always was able to make Ben smile when he was feeling sad. 

They took his father away from him. He was going to take everything from them. Ben roared and lunged against the other knight, who could barely rise their weapon before he went against them in full force. Ben didn’t waste time. He grabbed the shaft of the spear with one hand, and with a twirl, he took off the knight’s head. Then he broke the spear and retrieved the crystal. 

Ben felt empty after the outburst of rage, and only wanted to crawl into Hux’s lap and cry. He didn’t want to face his mother. He didn’t want to face Chewie. He did not dare to look to where his father’s body laid lifeless on the floor. 

He sent a tendril of the force towards Rey and Finn, relieved to discover that they were alive. He went to them and knelt at Rey’s side. She was only unconscious, so it wasn’t very difficult for him to wake her up with the help of the force. She groaned and got up, blinking.   
“What..?” Rey saw the corpses of the Knights and their friends. She went to cradle Finn’s body on his arms “Finn! Finn?” 

Ben breathed “Use the Force, Rey” She felt the other presence and smiled, eyes shining with unshed tears. 

“He lives” Ben smiled sadly back .

“Yes. But he needs medical attention” Rey nodded , but then she noticed Han lying on the snow. She gasped “Master Ren? Your father…” Ben was openly crying now. He nodded and walked over to where Han was. That was when he noticed. Even with his eyes closed, the chest rose with every pained breath, little puffs of breath forming clouds in the cold air. 

Han was alive. 

Ben wanted to throttle him for making him cry. 

He laughed, and cried harder. Gently he floated his father out of the snow and towards the Falcon. They had wasted too much time already, and Force knows when this thing was supposed to blow up. It would be just their luck, surviving all this mess to die in the last minute. Ben was first, opening a trail on the snow, with Rey behind him, each of them dragging one of the wounded behind them. 

Chewie was waiting for them on the ramp, bowcaster ready. He greeted them with a questioning growl. Ben dried his tears and smiled. A typical Solo smile. 

“The Old man got himself into trouble, but he will live, How are our guests Chewie? Are we ready to go?” Rey went to the cockpit with Chewie in Han’s place and Ben took the two wounded to the benches. They would have to do for now. There on a corner of the living room Phasma and Hux stood, silent and grim. Ben wanted to run to him and hold him tight, but he had to tend to their injuries before they died on them. 

Soon they were safe in space, waiting for the X-wings to exit the planet and follow them home. 

Han was alive by some kind of miracle or the dumb luck that he had always had. The knight missed his heart by an inch. Finn’s back was sliced open, though, and Ren could tell if the spine was affected or not. They decided not to move him from the couch, and laid a few pillows on the floor instead. He argued with Hux and Phasma and convinced them to sit down before they collapsed (no use for them to fake strength when everyone in the ship knew they had been beaten and tortured for hours) then Ben went to the cockpit. 

“I have contacted Poe, they are trying to get a clear shot at the oscillator, the explosives Chewie and Han detonated brought part of the structure down, if they can shoot at it, everything will blow to dust and the day will be saved” Rey said, smiling. 

Ben took the com “Come on Dameron, shoot already, We have to get back home, I would like very much to snog my boyfriend!” Poe laughed “Here I go Ben! The things I do to get you laid man!” There was silence, and then Poe’s voice again “All units, we go back home, go home” and at the end “The good Senator here needs to smooch his significant other, you know”.

Ben wandered if he would be able to strangle someone through the Force and make it look like Poe hadn’t made it out of the planet in time. But he glanced back to the living room, at Finn’s immobile form and Hux’s scowling face and smirked. Ah, well, he could torture Poe once they got back home, for years and years to come.

Ben couldn’t approach Hux for the first part of their trip home. Phasma, even without the helmet, was a frightening woman, looking at Ben like she wanted to use his skin as a rug, all while staying close to Hux, an arm protectively put around his thin frame, glaring at Ben from time to time. 

Ben resorted to stay with Rey and Chewie on the cockpit, whining to Rey once in awhile so she would get up and check on the wounded.  
“Rey” he whispered, trying not to be heard if the others were close by some reason “Rey, Hux is angry at me and I don’t know why” he said.   
His sad voice and sad puppy eyes melting Rey’s heart. Ben might be Master Ren now, but Rey still remembered the young boy she was raised with. Which meant Ben would never get the respect due to a Jedi Knight in private as long as he was with her. 

“What did you do to him?” she asked. It was suspicious that Ben’s boyfriend was angry at him already, they had been in each other’s presence for like three hours.

“Nothing!” he said, too quickly, his voice a few tones higher than it naturally was. 

“Oh my stars, you really did something. Three hours Ben, that has to be a record” Ben looked at his boots.

 

Hux wanted to murder someone. And by someone, he meant Kylo Ren.The gall of that man.The insolence. If Hux didn’t felt like his whole body had turned into pudding and his skull has jelly where his brain should have been, he would probably have tried to shove the Jedi Knight’s extravagant lightsaber up his nose. 

Hux was grateful for him rescuing his arse from prison, and Caedus, but that didn’t mean he had to like him. He was just… too much.   
He acted like he knew Hux, he even called him Bren. Only Ben could call him Bren, during their chats, late at night, with that sweet playful smile while Ben was on his boudoir choosing the jewels for that days Senate meeting.

And then, then there was the kiss. Hux understood that perhaps Kylo Ren felt like had been marching to his death, but that was no excuse to just kiss Hux like that. Hux could swear he could still feel the spit of the other man in his mouth. 

Hux thought of Ben, and his mood soured even more. True that the Knight resembled Ben, that wasn’t enough for Hux.

He would rather be alone than have some poor substitute of Ben. Hux refused to settle just so he could squint his eyes and pretend he was with the Senator. Hux mood had worsened when Dameron’s horrible voice joked about getting back home so he could snog the Senator. 

Hux was tired. So tired.Phasma had endured some of the physical torture, but none of the troopers were too kin in attacking their former Captain, and she had helped him to what could only be the infamous Millennium Falcon. She had been worried her emissary hadn’t made it to the New Republic. She had explained that she had sent him on a shuttle without a tracker device, risky but necessary, with all of Hux’s personal effects, and Millicent. FN-2187, who had been found by Dameron of all people, during a scouting mission the pilot brought him to their base. Finn, who was lying on a mat with a giant lightsaber wound on his back.

He hoped his people were safely out of planet when his Starkiller blew up. He wanted to see Ben. He was going to be treated as a war prisoner, for sure, but he wanted to see Ben first. Perhaps all than hate for Kylo Ren was against his best interests, Kylo, after all, was close to Ben, and he would be a quick way to get to his Senator once they landed. Perhaps if he was nice with Kylo, when they tossed him into a cell never to see the light again, the Jedi would tell Ben, and perhaps, perhaps Ben would come, radiant in his gown and jewels and his makeup, looking like a royal of old. Perhaps Hux would have the chance to touch him. Briefly, Hux imagined, because Ben’s guards won’t trust the General close to their Prince. 

In Hux’s mind, Ben was there when they arrived, and he ignored his wounded father, or Poe I-am-fucking-perfect-and-saved-the-day Dameron and went straight for Hux. His makeup would be ruined from his tears of worry, and Ben would embrace Hux, the ginger’s body disappearing in one of those outfits Ben favoured full of layers and different colours and fabric, Hux would be able to smell Ben, at last, and bury his head in his neck, and Ben would kiss Hux, again, and again, and again, until Hux’s face had more makeup than Ben’s own. 

Hux’s head was aching again, and he frowned and hissed while rubbing his temples. Phasma hugged him closer to her, the only thing she could do at the moment. She had been glaring at Kylo Ren since the man came on board, after Hux told her about the kiss.   
Kylo -for the name Ren made Hux feel nauseous- fretted, moved around a little bit, clearly uncomfortable, and, at last, rose and went to Hux’s side .

“That’s a side-effect from the mind assault” he said. “I could... uh…” he wiggled his fingers in what Hux guessed was a reference to the Force. “Only if you want, of course! I mean, having people in your head, has to be… kind of… you know. So,I could fix it, but only if you’d allow me to. Otherwise, it should go away on its own, eventually” Hux could feel Ph  
asma trying to glare Kylo into throwing himself out of an airlock. The jedi looked at the verge of fainting, and he was blushing a deep red. 

Hux, from up close, could see why people mistook him with Ben. But the shape of the cheekbones seemed to be wr  
ong and the hair, soft silky black locks in disarray was a lot like Ben’s but not quite. The lips were bigger, fuller, and the eyes seemed a tad smaller.  
Before that train of thought could get him anywhere, Hux felt another sharp stab in his head and moaned in pain.

“If you can fix this, do it now!” Barked Phasma, who was rubbing her hand on Hux’s back in an attempt at comforting him. Kylo flinched, nodded and extended his hand towards Hux. Hux squished his eyes shut, expecting more pain for a moment, but it was like there was warm water surrounding him, and soon his brain stopped feeling like it had been scrambled.

“Caedus tried to rip your mind apart” Hux has lost all notion of time, surrounded by the warmth and a pleasant feeling of being cherished, but noted that the Jedi’s voice seemed horrified, for some reason.“I will bring forwards some nice memories from your mind now, to repair the tears Caedus left behind” 

And suddenly Hux could see, as clearly as if he was once again there, the day he’d graduated from the Academy. The day he found Millicent, still a kitten much too young to be alone. He saw the day he was given command of the Finalizer, and his promotion to General.

“I… this will be… personal, but I promise, I will try not to pry” 

The first kiss Hux gave, to a pretty little girl from the Academy, his first love. And then, Ben. Ben Amidala of Naboo,with his royal robes, the makeup and the witty remarks. Their bickering through time. His most recent fantasy of reunion.

Hux opened his eyes, and saw Kylo smiling at him. He looked a lot like Ben right then. They both had a lovely, radiant smile that made their eyes shine. 

“There, all done.” Kylo bit his lip, hesitating for a moment “ Oh, you can’t imagine how worried I was, Bren!” 

He practically threw himself in Hux’s arms, so sudden an action than even Phasma was caught by surprise. Hux found himself with a lapful of Jedi, and felt a few kisses being pressed against his neck. He shuddered and fought a blush threatening to cover his fair skin in red.   
Phasma’s eyes widened suddenly, and she made a surprised, understanding sound before she swiftly stood “I will see if we can be of service, now that you are recovered” said, the traitor, before hurrying away and leaving Hux alone with the Jedi, who clearly had no sense of decency whatsoever. 

Without Phasma supporting their weight they fell to the floor, Kylo on top of Hux. Neither of them moved. Hux could only see that mop of black hair, silky soft, smelling of sweat and a perfumed hair product tickling his chest where the skin showed. “I don’t know if this is appropriate…” Hux started. Kylo Ren snuggled closer into his chest and let out a soft noise of happiness “the blood on your clothes is dry already, but even if it wasn’t, I wouldn’t care, in the slightest” Hux gulped “I must insist, this is not appropriate at all, I don’t know about the Resistance code of behaviour, but this clearly trespasses anyone’s sense of personal space…”

The jedi knight seemed to catch the message, and quick as lightning he let Hux go. Kylo had hidden his face with his hair, and was looking at the floor, looking every last bit a kicked puppy left out on the street to die. Hux didn’t know what to do. When Kylo spoke again, his voice was strained, and terribly sad. “Sorry, I, oh my stars, sorry, I’m so sorry… you… i thought that you… I mean… all this years… and the message… but you don’t… Oh Gods… oh Force… I’m so stupid… Sorry” He got up, clearly trying not to sob but failing miserably. Kylo then proceeded to lock himself in the fresher. 

Hux wondered what the hell just happened. Locking himself in the fresher did nothing to muffle the sobs than then became a full wail. It was heart-breaking. A wookie roared, and from the cockpit, the young jedi woman with the strange hair emerged looking murderous. 

“What did you do now?” She growled, grabbing at her hair in frustration “You are both exasperating! Will you please just talk? Instead of getting mad at each other or” she said, punctuating her words with a punch on the fresher’s door “behaving” punch “like” punch “a fucking” bang “drama” punch “queen!” she shouted, kicking the door. 

Hux stood there, eyes wide, doing his best to not seem afraid of that crazy Force-wielding human. She took a deep breath and, seemingly collecting herself, ripped open the door’s control panel, yanked a few cables, and, when the door opened with a hiss, she turned to Hux. Before he had the time to say or do anything, she waved her hand and he felt an invisible power grabbing him. He most definitely did not squeak as she unceremoniously threw him inside, and slammed the door shut.

Hux landed on top of Kylo, who had been sitting on the closed toiled, knocking them both into the floor. 

“You will stay in there until you get yourselves sorted out, you pair of overgrown children!” Hux heard the girl scream, followed by the sound of her storming out.

Hux looked at Kylo, and noticed the red eyes, the tears down his cheeks, the snot, the trembling lips. What happened? Hux opted to be as sincere as he could. Still straddling Kylo’s hips, the Jedi’s hands on Hux’s hips, the General looked at the other man in the eye “I don’t have the slightest idea about what is going on”.

Kylo hiccupped “I’m an idiot” he averted his eyes.

Hux laughed “clearly, because I don’t know what are you babbling about and now you keep being SO informative with your commentaries” Another hiccup. The snot was running down his face and driving Hux crazy, he grabbed a piece of toilet paper and scrubbed Kylo’s nose clean. There, much better. 

“I though… look, Bren…Hux… I misinterpreted our friendship all right? What I thought we had it’s clearly not what you thought we had” Hux was confused. He didn’t know the other man, but for what he read in reports of his attacks at the supply ships or the Knights of Ren.

“Do we know each other, then?” asked Hux, confused at best “I’ll be blunt. I don’t remember you” Kylo’s eyes widened. He made a very good impression of a fish out of the water. 

“You don’t? But… I saw it… you do remember me… I was afraid Caedus took something from you, but he only used brute strength and none finesse” he was confused. Well, that made two of them, Hux was confused too.

“Where did we meet? Perhaps I will remember you if you tell me?”

“oh, yes, that may help! During the meeting for the ceasefire when the good General ended up throwing his drink to the camera. Well… perhaps you do not remember me from them… I barely spoke and was all time in the shadows… Oh Bren, Would you let me into your mind again? It would be much easier” Kylo extended his hand, but Hux caught it by the wrist and held him still in the air.

“I’m tired of people messing with my brain” “Mind, dearest, the force messes with your mind, not the brain” Kylo booped Hux in the nose and smirked.

Hux was rubbing his nose, trying to regain some dignity after squeaking at Kylo’s actions. Well, as much dignity as one could retain being straddling a Jedi who was sprawled on the floor of a tiny bathroom in an old corellian ship that, for what Hux had seen, worked fuelled by pure luck and kept together by binding tape, Wookie hair, and the Force. 

And then he saw the smug expression of the man below him. The eyes sparkling with mischief. The grin, as if he knew your most perverted, deepest thoughts. The other changes in the face were, probably, due to the lack of makeup. Hux’s hands were resting on top of the other man’s chest. A very firm chest, from what Hux could feel with all those layers of jedi robes on him. Sitting as he was on his belly, Hux deduced by the hardness of the flesh that hidden beneath the cloth the man had at least a six pack. 

The face, the body. Oh, he knew those expressions, he had fell in love with them. 

He knew that smug smile.

He knew that muscled body.

Ben Organa-Solo, better known as Senator Ben Amidala, was Kylo Ren.

Kylo Ren, who was sprawled on the floor of a dirty small bathroom with Hux straddling his hips.

Kylo Ren, who was Ben Amidala.

Hux was straddling Ben Amidala’s hips.

“Oh my stars” he croaked, and scrambled to his feet and to the opposite side of the bathroom, trying to fix his clothes and feeling the heat in his face as the blush took over his skin. “Ben?” he whispered, and the smile that practically split the man’s face in two could have powered a thousand Starkillers. Kylo… no. Ben, Ben rose and advanced towards Hux with his arms open wide. The bone crushing hug that Hux received nearly killed him on the spot. He was being hugged by Ben. He had kissed Ben. Well, more like Ben had kissed him…

Ben had taken Hux’s face between his hands. They were big and warm, Hux noted, with long elegant fingers and calluses from the use of the lightsaber.

Hux’s face felt so red he was sure he would faint from lack of blood. Ben’s lips covered his a Hux not only didn’t faint, he was able to stand upright during the whole affair, his arms moving on his own free will to cling on those big broad shoulders. Ben’s mouth was warm, and tasted like cool mint and slightly of the cooper flavour of blood. They kissed slowly and tenderly, enjoying the moment. They broke apart and Hux tangled his hands into those silky raven locks to bring Ben’s head closer to his and give him small kisses in those soft lips. How many times had Hux fantasied about how they would look without the makeup? 

Ben smiled, and Hux could feel it against his own lips. Ben kissed Hux again and this time it was full of passion. It sweeped Hux off his feet, and in that moment there wasn’t anything else in the world but Ben’s lips, his mouth, his tongue, and if Hux had died in that very moment he would have died a happy man. 

Ben pushed him against the wall, and started tugging at his clothes, touching his skin where he could uncover it, peeling the bloodstained shirt from him and trying to get his hands under Hux’s undershirt. 

The garment had been soaked and the dried blood had glued it to Hux’s skin, making him wince when Ben tried to remove it. They separated, panting. 

“It’s stuck” said Hux, frustrated, and Ben laughed glancing at the tiny shower and back at Hux. 

“Well,” started the Senator, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively at Hux. “We could try to take it off with some hot water” his face fell a bit “Or we could wait until we are back on the base, and take it off there, and continue this after you’ve had some medical attention” Ben sounded guilty, and it was only then when Hux remembered being assaulted by the Force user, and beaten and tortured. He had forgotten his aching wounds in the throes of passion. 

Hux realised something. “What… what are you going to say to Dameron?” Ben looked confused. 

“Poe? What about him?” Hux knew he was blushing. Oh, how he wanted to never have this conversation. 

“He won’t be…. I mean… I know he…. With a lot…. But, hum, Would he like that I’m with you?” 

Ben laughed “Oh, don’t worry, Poe it’s not going to worry about me when you are around, you are hardly an assassin send to kill me right?” Ben kissed Hux forehead and then his head, hugging him close to his hard body. Hux’s world narrowed into the warm hands around his middle and Ben’s breathe in his hair. 

“Ben… I…” he took a deep breath and looked Ben in the eye.

No matter what he didn’t wanted to be anyone’s third wheel. He was selfish enough to want Ben for himself, without having to share him with Poe fucking-marvelous Dameron.

“I am no one’s mistresst’s just that I don’t want to be the third wheel, Ben, not even yours.” Hux kept his voice even.felt his voice trembling. He was opening himself, vulnerable to any attack. 

He didn’t give his heart lightly. He had talked about it with Phasma while waiting for them in the Falcon. If Ben prefered Poe over him, and in case they weren’t thrown to jail, he would go with Phasma to a place no one knew about them, to try and build something for himself, in peace, as far from the Republic and Senator Ben Amidala as they could. Hux just hoped Ben would be happy with Dameron.

Hux looked up, to see Ben’s face, since the other man didn’t say a word. Again, the good Senator slash Jedi knight was impersonating a fish. Well. It was a big thing, reasoned Hux, he may need some time. 

But Ben wasn’t speaking at all, just looking at Hux with wide confused eyes and mouth opening and closing. How infuriating. Hux grabbed him by the outer robe of his jedi outfit and shook him “Would you just say something! Kriffing hell, you are so infuriating!”  
“What third wheel?” blurted Ben. 

“What third wheel?” Hux snorted “I knew your relationship with Dameron was open wide as a mile, with all those reports of his nocturnal and not so nocturnal activities, but Ben, kriff it all, I don’t want to share your heart or your bed with the damn man!”

Ben let go of Hux as he’d burnt him “I wouldn’t betray you like that, Brendol!” he stated offended. He placed his hands on his hips, and took advantage of the few inches he had over Hux to loom over him.

He looked outraged “I can’t believe you thought I would sleep around just because you were far away! I don’t know if you know it, but people don’t behave like animals on a rut, they can control their impulses, and Jedi are very good at controlling themselves” Ben made a sound half a snort half a shriek “I can believe you would think so low of me” a pause “Oh my god, oh my god, please tell me you haven’t being sleeping around and that’s why you think I have been doing the same, Oh Force” He was crying again “ Was it Phasma? I have seen some of your officers, they were pretty even in those grey uniforms of yours...” he huffed, and sniffed. Snot ran down his nose again. 

“What? What are you talking-”

“Of course, of course. I know that I’m not exactly handsome, but I thought that maybe I was enough. I really thought you enjoyed the outfits… I mean, I really thought those times you called me before going to bed… that you… oh Force, oh Force! You are a pig!”  
Hux’s confusion turned into anger.

“What the hell. A pig? Me? I’m not the one flirting and showing off and tempting people only to flaunt their marvellous relationship with that poster boy that, for your information, sleeps around behind your back! Who is the pig now, uh? Of course I haven’t been sleeping with Phasma, are you insane? Anyway, what do you care if I sleep with someone or not? ” Ben made a choking sound and started crying harder. Hux huffed, frustrated and upset.

And here he’d thought Ben wanted something with him that was more of a fuck. Ben cleaned the snot and tears from his face with one of his sleeves, turned around and went to the door, still barred. He started banging on it.

“Rey let me out. Let me out Right Now!” 

Hux was furious, Ben was acting like he was the victim. Hux was the one who had confessed his feelings and got a few kisses, crushed hopes and an invitation to the Senator’s bed with a ticket for a kick out of said bed the morning after. 

“I don’t know why you are being like this! You have no right to act like you are the one in pain here, It’s me who just got his heart tossed to his face!” How dare he, how dare he, after everything Hux had gone through. Rage fueled Hux to shout at Ben, forgetting his aching body.   
“Your heart? What heart? You have a piece of ice inside your chest. Was it all a game? wasn’t it? A strategy or something? To win my favours so your Order could get more benefits from the negotiations? Let’s toy with the stupid Ben Solo, he seems in love with General Hux.” 

“Taking advantage? You knew I had...feelings for you, and you played me, with your stupid outfits, covering so little skin you might as well have walked into the chamber naked! That wasn’t to gain the upper hand with me, knowing how much I wanted you? Bet you and you boyfriend laughed at the poor general, desperately in love. Gods, I can’t believe I sent that voice mail” Hux could feel tears running down his cheeks. It was humiliating. He was crying in front of the man that crushed his heart. His father was right. He was weak. Pathetic. 

“Did you all sat around and laugh at me confessing my love? At least you had fun at my expense one last time…” Hux felt the tears running down his cheeks. For the first time in his life he felt defeated. He let himself slide down the wall and sat there, knees close to his chest. He hid his face as he wept. He didn’t want to know anything else of Ben Amidala in what was left of his life. Just go away so he could lick his wounds in peace.

He felt hands trying to pry his hands and arms away from his face, and he knew he couldn’t do it. He couldn’t face Ben. Not now. Possibly, not ever.

“Hux. Hux, please look at me. Please” Hux moved his head. No way. No, no. “Hux please, we have to talk. None of us makes sense, we have to talk” He looked at him. Both of them were crying, eyes red and puffy. Hux wondered if he had snot coming out of his nose too. How undignified for a General.

“I just…” a sob interrupted him. Hux tried to stop it, but failed, and then, Just in case he had any doubt about the universe trying to humiliate him, Hux hiccupped.“I don’t want to be just an affair to you, Ben, I meant it when I said that I loved you. I love you”.

Ben smiled at him, soft and a bit sad “I know you love me. I love you too. We have been in this relationship for years, Bren, there is no need for being insecure.”

Hux was astonished. “What relationship?” He blurted. 

He blushed furiously, surely Ben meant as friends, and was offering the chance to something more, but Hux just had to be sure, with all the misunderstandings they have been through this last hours. 

Ben chuckled “What relationship? Well, ours, of course, I would never forget how sweet you were asking me out, Bren, I nearly melted on the spot” Ben pressed a kiss to the back of Hux’s hand.

“I asked you out?” Hux needed to make things clear. Not only Ben wasn’t in a relationship with Poe Dameron… but he believed he was dating Hux? Ben face showed his confusion. He groaned and sat by Hux on the floor. 

“Alright,” he said “this is not making sense. You go first. What do you think is our relationship?” 

Hux took a deep breath and started talking as if it were a mission report “We are... friends, after a fashion. As much as people like us can possibly be. Then again, I am also a creep that keeps ogling during our meetings, and during our calls, because you are very attractive, and I’m slightly desperate. And I have… feelings for you. As I said.” He could feel his face growing hot, and hoped he was not as red as he feared. “And I know, or, well, I thought I knew, anyway, that you were dating Poe I’m-perfect-and-handsome Dameron, but then I thought we were both going to die, and I didn’t want to go without telling you how I felt about you. It’s not as if I had anything to lose, anyway.”

“Oh, Bren” breathed Ben, and pulled Hux into his arms.

“We had been flirting, well, I thought you were flirting so I flirted back. I thought you teased me with the uniform and I tried to tease you back with my clothes. For your information what I wear to our meetings is like a twenty percent more transparent than what I normally wear. And of course when you sent me that lovely blaster and the set of knives after the assassination attempt in Coruscant with that note, I mean, you said you were glad I was alive, and such sweet things, and then you asked to take it as a symbol of your interest on me and if I wanted to have a more personal relationship with you… well I thought you were asking me out” .

Hux was baffled. Yes he was worried sick for Ben after the attempt, the most spectacular to the date, and had sent the small blaster and a set of knives that could be hidden under the heavy robes of the ambassador. But his note didn’t say those things. 

“Ben, Ben, I wrote that I was glad you were alive. That I was very fond of our friendship and that I would call you as to talk to you in person”   
“You called me at night, I was already disrobing! What did you want me to thought?” Hux huffed .

“I called you as soon as I was off duty, Ben” .

“And then all those calls late at night, from your personal quarters. I have seen you fall asleep more than once!” .

“Well, I assumed you would rather have call at a respectable hour, even if it was ass o’clock in the morning for me… and you helped me with my insomnia, we were friends, isn’t it thing friends do? Talk until one falls asleep?” .

Ben avoided Hux’s gaze and pouted “Well, you thought I was banging Poe. Poe! Of all people! I would be like kissing my brother! Puagh!” Ben made a face and stuck out his tongue to convey his repulsion. “Also, you were a General of the First Order, and I was the Senator of Naboo, I thought you didn’t say anything upfront because it could get bad for us if we were discovered” .

Hux moved and straddled Ben’s long, long legs again. He took the other man’s head between his hands, delighting himself in the feeling of the raven locks entwisted in his fingers. 

“So” Hux said, brushing his lips with Ben’s. “I’m not a General of the First Order anymore” another kiss, this time to the corner of Ben’s mouth “You love me” he kissed his cheek “and I love you” now he kissed his jaw and Ben’s breathe hitched. 

Ben moved before Hux reached his neck and kissed him full in the mouth. Hux moaned into the kiss as Ben’s hands rubbed circles on his thighs. 

“All true, Bren. Well then, Brendol Hux, do you want to be my boyfriend?” said Ben with the cheekiest grin the former General had ever seen him. Hux answered kissing him senseless.

When Rey opened the fresher to let them out, she was surprised they still had clothes on. Their lips were swollen by kisses and both had a dummy smile on their faces, but well, Rey thought, better she hadn’t had to explain Han that his son had banged the redhead General on the Falcon. ç  
The next days were madness. Hux, Finn and Han were spirited away to the infirmary, and confined to bacta tanks the next days to heal all their wounds. Phasma left to try and regroup the soldiers loyal to the former General. When Hux, in much better condition than the other two was allowed out of the tank, was confined into a bed, and the doctors hadn’t allowed more visitors than the head of the Resistance, with Princess Leia herself at the helm, and he had been hours and hours explaining everything he knew about the Order and Snoke to them.

Even with the support of General Organa, Senator Amidala and even the wookie and the padawans vouching for him, Hux wasn’t allowed to help, not trusted yet, even with his reputation as a tactician. That left Brendol, please, call me Hux (Dameron somehow introduced him as Brendol that first day out of bed even when Hux hated being called Brendol, it reminded him too much at his father, Brendol senior, scolding him as a child) with a lot of free time to lay around spoiling Millicent, going on long walks, repairing things in the workshop ( oh, the engineers were so happy to have an extra pair of hands, and seriously, How many things did the members of the resistance maim in a day?) and reading. Hux thought of it as his first vacation, and didn’t dwell too much in the fact that he was being completely useless and unproductive. He would have a chance at the war later . (He would have his revenge on Snoke would come., sooner or later) 

On Ben’s side, there had been one meeting after the other, and speeches, and Senate sessions. People were coming back to the Hosnian system and there was much to do and not enough time or hands to do it.

At last, the moment came when Ben would return to the base of D’Qar, as. General Organa herself had informedtold Hux, and he had sneaked into Ben’s rooms to wait for him. He was in there when the first news of his shuttle approaching the planet had been heard.   
Hux had been given some clothes by the resistance, and he had tried to make up for his lack of uniform and greatcoat recreating the outfit with what he had at hand. Now he was regretting his decision as he fought to shed hisas many layers of clothing as quick as possiblehe could. After two weeks of promises and holocoms late at night, Hux couldn’t wait for Ben to arrive. 

Hux had folded his clothes before going to remove the gel form his hair. Hux was drying the red locks when the door hissed open. He smiled. Ben was home. 

He looked at himself in the mirror, the clean pale skin and the fiery hair. Ben had seemed to enjoy his shirt back when he rescued him from the cell, and Hux tried rolling his sleeves up and undoing several buttons to get the same effect. 

He walked out of the bathroom, and stopped dead on his tracks. Ben was sitting in front of his boudoir, wearing one of his senatorial gowns, a mass of transparent silk in blues and blacks that hugged his body and flowed to the floor in a long ruffled train. The fabric shone with the jewels and pearls sewn into it reflecting the light. Ben’s back was exposed, the cut so low Hux could see the moles at the swell of the other man’s butt. The dressed seemed to be painted over the skin of his back. The exposed paleness was covered by a long necklace of sapphires and diamonds set on silver, cascading down Ben’s back. The front, reflected on the mirror, showed that the necklace was as much simple on the front as extravagant it was on the back, a thin line of silver with a small diamonds and slightly bigger sapphires at regular intervals. Hux’s mouth dried at the sight reflected on the mirror. 

Ben’s face wore the traditional make up in white, accented with some black around his eyes and on his lips, the eyeliner a shocking electric blue that dragged the attention to Ben’s lovely eyes. The gown had no cleavage, but just as in the back, it looked as if someone had painted the dress on Ben, and his muscular chest and the upper part of what Hux knew now to be an eight pack were quite noticeable. After that, the cloth ruffled and reached above Ben’s knee, showing the petticoat in several shades of blue, from the lightest tone to the darkest. He had taken off the long navy blue gloves he had been wearing, and some of the pins that kept the long raven locks out of his face, leaving them on top of the gloves on the boudoir. 

Ben smiled at him “Bren, Did you miss me?” Hux nodded and licked his lips. He had waited for so long… Ben rose, opening his arms, walking towards Hux.

Hux didn’t wait for Ben to reach him; he practically threw himself at the other man, kissing him desperately. 

“I never did tell you how much I like this outfits of yours did I?” Ben smile widened and hugged Hux to him. 

“Hmmm, I think you did, once or twice” Ben laughed “You face is a mess” Hux attacked his lips again .

“I don’t care, I don’t care. Stars, I have waited for so long.” 

Hux pushed Ben until his knees found the bed and the Senator sat on the mattress. Hux made a strangled noise when he noticed the lovely pointed high heeled shoes he was wearing, embroidered sandals with delicate deep blue silk straps crisscrossing up his calves.   
Ben was smiling like an idiot and Hux couldn’t resist kissing him again, tangling his hands on the dark hair and tugging, practically climbing onto the other’s lap, letting his hands roam over the extension of Ben’s chest. Ben's gigantic hands sneaked under Hux's white shirt, his perfectly kept nails with their black polish giving Hux goosebumps.

Ben let himself fall backwards in the bed, dragging Hux with him. He took his hands from Hux's chest and massaged his neck and shoulders, then traced the collar of the shirt until they reached the buttons and started undoing them. It took Ben ten seconds flat to free Hux from that offending piece of cloth ( how dare it to hide the vision Hux's lovely chest from the Senator) Hux's pupils were dilated until the black only allowed a small circle of green to be seen.

"I'm yours Bren, you have wanted me for so long... what do you want me to do?" something broke inside Hux's brain, something short-circuited, and all rational thought stopped, overrode by a single thought. He was going to devour Ben.

He stroked Ben' silk covered chest, just as Ben did to him before. The other man, let his arms drop, smug smile in his face, the makeup ruined from their previous snogging. The black of his lipstick was now all over his face, and most likely, all over Hux's face too. Hux tugged at the clothes. He wanted to touch what he had seen under the silk during their long calls this past days. 

"How in hell do you open this thing? I want to see you" .

Ben laughed "you'll have to work for it" Hux frowned, Ben tossed his head back and laughed. 

Hux searched him like a man possessed. At last he found the hidden zipper that kept the thing together and with a cry of triumph he was granted full access to the muscled pale chest of Ben. The good Senator had a total of three moles on his chest, one by his bellybutton, and two one on top of the other below his right nipple. Hux planned to map them with his tongue. Ben moaned when he finally, after years of waiting he felt Hux's warm tongue on his skin. The General mapped the pectorals until he reached Ben's nipples. Teasing one with his hand, Hux kissed each mole, lavished them with his tongue and then lapped at the nipple before circling it. Ben's breath hitched and the Senator moaned, one of his big, warm hands tangling in Hux's hair, keeping him close to his chest. 

Hux grazed the pink pert nipple with his teeth before kissing it and change to the other one. Ben kept moaning and whispering words of praise and encouragement as Hux made his way down his chest. Hux took a moment to feast on the eight pack that Ben had. 

"Like what you see?" Ben was smirking, smug and satisfied, looking lovingly down to Hux practically drooling over his muscles. Hux bit and sucked until dark mark bloomed in the other's skin "Ouch" .

"Idiot" said Hux, grinding his growing erection against the mass of cloth that was Ben's skirt "You would know if you didn't wear a thousand layers of totally unnecessary fabric" Ben laughed and dragged Hux up to kiss him .

"Is that a yes?" Hux winced as the other man bite into his bottom lip. Ben's huge hand grabbed Hux's ass and then travelled to the front to cup and squeeze Hux's groin. He gasped and moaned, leaning into the touch. Ben mover his hand across the front of Hux's trousers and magically the button unfastened and the zipped came undone, the garment sliding on it's own down his legs. Hux got up to remove them completely, alongside his shoes and socks. Hux had his back to Ben, removing the only sock he had left, when he heard a low whistle at the same time his underwear slide down his legs, the cold air hitting his rump and making him shiver. 

"My, my, What a lovely ass you have, Brendol dear" Hux felt a blush covering his cheeks, and creeping down his neck. Grabbing his socks and making a ball, he turned and tossed them at Ben, who was sprawled gracefully on the bed, the dress rearranged around him, the gown's front gaping open, putting his torso on display. 

Sadly the dirty socks were not effective and Ben laughed and whistled again "Though, Forced to chose, I much prefer the view from the front" Hux was blushing furiously, but still he straightened and with all the cheek he could muster he replied .

"Well, Senator Amidala, would you give me the chance to chose what I view I like best of you?" Ben took the challenge and got up, fumbling with the laces and removing the piece covering his chest, which had been kept in place by the zipper at the other side of Ben's body. 

Ben advanced towards Hux, with feline grace. "I wore this robe for you before, this little piece came off and i had golden chains on my chest instead. You seemed to like it a lot" .

Ben was in front of Hux, who couldn't stop staring and his chest, he remembered. He remembered peeking through the chains Ben's nipples. He had been so distracted that day, trying to glimpse the skin beneath the golden chains. Ben brushed the shell of Hux's ear with his lips .

"Do you want to see another little trick?" Hux nearly swallowed his tongue. Ben kissed him and rubbed their chests together. Hux hugged him and sank his nails in his back, leaving pink welts on the skin . Ben moaned and grabbed Hux's butt, grinding their hips together, Hux groaned in frustration .

"Pretty as the gown is, it's in the way" he tugged at the fabric, but Ben slapped his hands away. 

"Hold on, don't tear it apart, it's one of my favourites" Hux growled and gave a final tug before Ben stepped back, fumbled with his skirt, and the fabric parted to reveal the breeches he wore under it. Ben moved his hands and the laces of his shoes came undone, he stepped aside and made another gesture the other garment pooled at his feet. 

"Senator Amidala" said Hux on a tone of false shock "Did you attend all those meeting today, and gave that speech, wearing nothing under your breeches? I'm in shock" Hux didn't have time to fully appreciate the beautifully formed cock that hung between those pale legs adorned with violet tights held up by garters a few tones darker in colour. 

Ben must have considered that he was done with waiting. Like a ranthtar, all teeth and arms that moved everywhere, making Hux think that there were more than two. Soon he was being pressed against a wall, hands grabbing his butt and massaging it, lifting him in the air while Ben crushed their mouths together. Hux's mind was suffering a short circuit. Again. Ben moved them to again to the bed and laid Hux on the middle, the bigger man looming over him. 

The dark locks framed Ben's face, his makeup now a total ruin, sweat running down his chiselled abs. Ben kissed Hux and caressed him all over, Hux whined softly and pushed Ben towards his aching member. Ben didn't disappoint and kissed the tip of Hux's member before directly deepthroating him. Hux didn't register much, only was able to trash on the bed, tugging at Ben's hair, scratching his scalp. Moaning and screaming and Ben seemed to be intent on sucking the lifeforce out of him through his dick. 

Hux was close, and he tugged at Ben's hair, before he squeezed the base of his cock. He didn't want to come so soon. Ben kissed Hux, and Hux said between kisses .

"I want to suck you, let me..." Ben's eyes widened and then smirked. He kissed Hux passionately one last time.

"I have a great idea" Ben rose and grabbed his long skirts, positioning himself and extending the fabric over Hux's head. He was covered by a curtain of black and blue soft silk, the light trespassing the fabric allowing Hux to recognise shapes in the relative darkness, and inside that lovely cover, Ben's pale legs, in the violet tights and the garters, His ass wriggling as he crawled into place, giving Brendol an excellent view of his pink hole and the heavy balls.

When Ben was close enough, Hux grabbed him by the hips and licked a wet stripe through his crack, tongue circling this tight hole on the second pass of the wet appendage, he opened the arse cheeks and rubbed the tips of his thumbs on his hole. Ben moaned, and Hux took it as encouragement to follow through. His fingers dipped into the pink pucker as his tongue traced Ben's balls. The Senator moaned and fussed, getting himself more comfortable on top of Hux's face. He licked a wet stripe from bottom to the top of Ben's very nice shaped, huge cock. Hux tried to get comfortable, relaxed, and then, grabbed Ben's butt, red, moon shaped nail marks on his cheeks, and shoved Ben's dick down his throat. Ben caught on fairly quick, happily fucking Brendol's mouth.

But, just like Brendol before, Ben groaned, trusted as deep as he could into Hux's mouth and moved away. Hux blinked, blinded by the sudden brightness, the train and the skirts that remained from Ben's gown floated behind him. That was when it clicked. Hux giggled.  
"So many years of Jedi training for you to use it for something like this" he said, breathless, his voice rough from taking the other man so deep, and a small smug smirk on his lips. "What would your Uncle say?" Ben chuckled .

"He would probably encourage me to get laid. He always does insist I needed an outlet for my excess of energy" A couple of pillows floated to Ben's hands, followed by a small bottle of lube. Ben uncapped it. "Do you want to see another trick?"

Brendol nodded, breathless, and watched in awed silence as Ben lifted his hips without touching him and the pillows arranged themselves under him on their own free will. 

Then, like the loveliest god of porn and sex, or so Brendol thought, Ben Amidala, with his not so painted face now went down on him, tongue circling his hole and driving him mad. The ghostly touch of fingertips had Hux bucking, an invisible force gluing his hips to the pillows and the bed, and then Ben's lips were teasing his cock mercilessly as the bottle of lube opened in the air and poured lube on Ben's awaiting fingers. Hux's breath hitched at the cold sensation and the pleasant burn of the finger entering him. Ben's fingers were long, elegant, and much thicker than Hux's own. And he knew what he was doing with them. 

Soon Ben was able to add a second finger, and, taking Hux out of his mouth, he asked "You are quite loose, I really expected you to be tight as a virgin."

Hux snorted "Did you thought i was made of stone? Of course I aaaahhh" Ben purposely curled his fingers and pressed against Hux's prostate. "Fuck, fuck, fuck....aaaah....fuck" he moaned, and trashed, but the invisible force kept him on his place as Ben added a third and fourth finger. 

"You have been having fun, haven't you?" . Hux nodded .

"I told you" Hux was really close, panting and thrashing "I'm not made of stone" He started fucking Hux with his fingers while sucking his cock, tongue twirling around the tip, tracing the sides, and Hux couldn't take it anymore. Ben took him in his hand while he fucked him with his fingers, the long fingers rubbing deliciously against his prostate, his other hand masturbating him, and Ben leaned forward and started whispering "Did you use your fingers and thought of my cock fucking you senseless?" Ben gave a few strokes before quickening the pace and at the same time fingering him slower than before. Hux whined. He nodded. 

"Did you think of fucking me, when you were jerking off late at night?" Hux gasped.

"Yes " he whispered.

"Would you like me to fuck you?" Hux wasn't capable of speech anymore. He nodded, and then Ben was playing with his nipples, kissing his soft belly, dipping his tongue on his belly button, caressing with his nose the patch of red hair were his cock was standing hard and leaking, and started sucking again with renewed vigour. 

"I'm... Ben, Ben, Ben, I'm going to..." Ben winked at him, and Hux could resist the image of Ben Amidala sucking his cock, the perfect picture of lust and debauchery. Hux cock has a good part of the makeup Ben's face was missing, and Hux flushed even more thinking that his ass must be covered in paint too. Ben abandoned him once again before positioning himself on top of Hux. He lowered himself and Hux's eyes rolled into his head at the tight heat engulfing him. Ben moaned too. The Senator had been using both his hands, when did he...? 

"I told you, I know a trick or two". Ben rode him, taking his own erection in hand and stroking himself while moaning wantonly. Soon Ben pressed himself down hard and came over Hux's pale chest. He got off him, still panting and dazeddazzed, just to came back to his position between Hux's legs. He started sucking and fingering him eagerly. Hux couldn't think anymore, he couldn't take it. A voice sounded on his head, Ben's voice.

"Come, come for me" Hux couldn't resist anymore and came. He trembled watching Ben getting up and smiling sweetly at him before swallowing quite noticeably. 

Hux was very aware of Ben’s fingers still inside him, unmoving, and the very obvious erection that poked out of the skirts of Ben's gown. He looked at Ben, and the other man smirked and pecked him on the lips.

"I promised you a few tricks, didn't I?" Astonished, Hux watched as their spent cocks hardened again. Ben covered himself in lube, grabbed Hux's legs in his big warm hands and thrusted. Hux's tossed his head back and moaned. He was so full. It was nothing compared to the fingers. It was better. Ben thrusted at an inhuman pace, and Hux was sure that the only thing keeping him from bang his head against the headrest were Ben's powerful arms. Pleasure building inside, his nerves too sensible to resist the prolonged assault after the prolonged fingering and the first orgasm, Hux grabbed Ben's shoulders and dragged himself up to kiss the other man. Ben kissed him back and speeded up his thrusts. 

"I'm close" Ben said, biting down on Hux's neck, leaving a bruise. Hux dig his nails on Ben's back and moaned .

"Come" he said, repeating Ben's own words from before. "Come for me". And obediently Ben emptied himself on Brendol's abused hole. Hux could felt the come trickling out of him as Ben withdrew and lifted Hux to lay him gently on the bed. Both of them were smiling. Years of pinning, of yearning, satiated at last. 

They kissed sweetly and held each other, not caring about the come staining their bodies, and in Ben's case, his clothes, or what would the future bring. Right now, all was well in the world.

"Your face is a disaster" laughed softly Hux, looking at Ben. 

The other snorted "you should see yourself" Hux smiled and looked down at his paint stained cock

"We are a mess" Ben used his powers to levitate a comforter on top of them and hugged Hux closer to him "Tomorrow. We will take care of this tomorrow"

Ben turned off the lights with the force and Hux snuggled into his chest. The come on his torso would stain Ben's robes. Hux smiled at this thought. "I love you Brendol" Hux smiled widened at the soft words and the kiss that followed. 

"I love you too Ben".

The morning after they didn't have to worry about being separated or the Knights of Ren or a First Order Stardestroyer attacking D'Qar, but about a very confused Han, recently discharged from the infirmary and his wookie friend when they walked on them having sex on the very comfortable rug on Ben's quarters, the screams that followed, and the knowledge that a bets had being placed about the date, the number of times, the postures and the positions they would have sex in, a base wide bet organised by Phasma ( Hux wasn't suprised) Poe Dameron ( no surprise there either) and the one who made the most profit out of it, Luke Skywalker ( Hux didn't expect that, thought Ben only groaned and hid under the covers so perhaps he should have expected it)


End file.
